Right now I think that it is important to use my blog despite being small as a platform to speak up against racism and support the black lives matter movement. Since I have reflected and acknowledged that I have
I wanted to talk about the concept of “voting with your wallet” and the importance. Voting with your wallet is similar to voting in an election except you are using your money as a ballot. You are already in charge of how and where you spend your money. It may seem trivial but we spend billions of dollars nationwide each year. That’s a lot of money and you can make a difference just by how you shop. Where you spend your money can make a statement by showing what you support. For example, I care about supporting businesses that are ethical and try to be zero/low waste. Instead of only focusing on boycotting businesses that don’t meet my criteria I can instead choose to support businesses that agree with my criteria. This also goes for how I choose which nonprofits that I donate money or volunteer at. I research nonprofits and learn about their mission first. Then I try to find ways to support them and spread awareness. This is one way that I am trying to support black lives matter movement long term.
One way that you can support the black lives matter movement is to support black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. I read a business insider article where they interview four black entrepreneurs about how to go beyond just buying products and how to support black entrepreneurs. I have also included articles with businesses you can support from Marie Claire, Forbes, and Huffington Post. There are so many businesses out there that you can support.
Finally, I wanted to say that you can make a difference in so many ways. Protesting is not the only tool that you can use to advocate for what you believe in. I am including an article about being an activist without protesting if you are looking for ideas. If you do choose to protest I encourage you to be safe and be prepared.
I will continue to post on social media to share resources and you are welcome to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or feedback. Also, comment down below if you know of any other black-owned businesses that people should check out.
