WINNIPEG -- As support for the Black community pours in following last month’s death of George Floyd, a Winnipeg team is launching an online resource to help connect Manitobans to Black-owned businesses.
Black Owned MB, an online directory, is hoping to launch June 29. The founders are business owners themselves and said their struggles in the business world prompted the idea to highlight the businesses.
“There are many, and sometimes, it may be hard to find them, so this platform will be able to make it easier for Manitobans and the public to find them and support them,” said co-creator Francine Bahati.
Organizers said more than 100 businesses have already signed up for the site.
Bahati said she wants support for Black-owned businesses to go beyond being a trend in the moment, and feels the platform will help sustain support for business months and years from now.
“I think Black community, growth, and economy shouldn’t be a trend,” she said. “We should have a seat at the table, whereby the Black community growth and economy can grow and can be sustainable.
“That’s what we’re looking for, because most Black businesses, they can open, but to sustain them, it’s really hard.”
