In 2014, after the death of Mike Brown and the outcry in Ferguson, Missouri, Blacks across the country decided to boycott for Black Friday. A such, no products would be purchased from any merchant on a particular day. This nationwide protest occurred to show how serious the Black community was about the deaths of so many young Blacks in our country. But by doing so, did everyone realize Black owned businesses would suffer, as well? Enter Tami Sawyer, 33, who realized this was a problem and asked, “Why not just buy black?” Sawyer used her social media ubiety to help support black businesses across the U.S. With backing from her Kickstarter campaign, on Aug. 17 Sawyer launched POWER BOX. Its function: to provide a directory of all of the Black-owned businesses (that the company is aware of) in every state to the public in order to help give back and empower our communities. Why POWER BOX? Sawyer wanted something wide-reaching that would target millions. She said, “We have the power to change our community and the power with the dollar!”
Sawyer and her team spent eight months working to generate POWER BOX. During this time they had to work with different softwares to find what would be a great fit and an easy to use tool for the website. They looked at graphic designers, and most importantly, they researched Black-owned businesses across the country. POWER BOX is a great directory, and as such Sawyer had to set parameters that allowed a business to qualify in being eligible to be featured on the website. Of course, the owner must be Black; that’s number one. The business must have a website; a quality check was made where the team looked to see if your business was a functional establishment with proper upkeep. A crucial concern for Sawyer and the team is if the business was sold to an investor (and how much of it?), was this advertised?
Sawyer, who buys most everything from Black-owned companies (right down to her toilet paper), and her team were aware of the fact that most Black-owned businesses only make less than $10K a year. Most of what prevents Black people from “buying Black” and supporting their communities is a lack of accessibility and knowledge. POWER BOX is Sawyer’s bridge to these unfortunate obstacles. By listing what you need or want in an area near you, POWER BOX gives you the encouraging choice to support Black businesses in your community and help pass on their trademark #BuyBlack. There is even the opportunity for everyone to support by informing POWER BOX of a Black-owned establishment that you know of and isn’t featured on the website.
Sawyer and her team are always on the look out for new businesses to add to their directory. She will be starting a regional call out next month, where she will ask a certain State each month to send in any business they know of to be added to POWER BOX. Sawyer believes that there are so many opportunities to live comfortably and in your price range and still “buy Black.”
“Instead of wearing Vera Wang, wear Amsale Aberra,” she urges.
Her hope for POWER BOX is to be advertised nationally, so people can plan trips and educate themselves on the many businesses they can use and ultimately bring empowerment back to our communities, as a whole.
Visit ourpowerbox.com and check out the directory of a city near you or around the USA. If you know of a business that would be great for the site, let POWER BOX know and be a part of supporting your community.
