Technology Fosters a Positive Change for the Black-Owned Businesses

In the last few weeks, people all over the world have taken to the streets to peacefully protest and bring attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. However, joining protestors is not the only way to do this. Many have shared and signed petitions. Others donated money to important causes. In addition, the focus went on supporting and shopping from Black-Owned businesses.

Technology is a Positive Catalyst

Technology has been a great tool and we have seen it foster a positive change for this movement. Social media has been a great platform for users to share multiple links and create a thread of different petitions which need to be signed. As well as websites being set up for causes that needed donations. GoFundMe has been used very consistently by several people. The use of hashtags such as #BlackOwned or #BlackBusiness. This has allowed people to find and share these resources with their friends and followers in an easier and faster way.

Mobile App Supports Change

One app, in particular, has been helping users find Black-Owned businesses to shop from. Black Nation app allows customers to find stores near them, order goods online, leave reviews to boost the businesses they are buying from and participate in giveaways. Their founder, Rameish Budhoo, believes “people in and out of our community want to support black-owned brands but it is extremely difficult to find [resources] to do so. That is why we created the app. Now that we have expanded, we aim to solve the problem by also giving people a fun and creative alternative to social media where brands and communities can engage more as it should be.” By utilizing an app like Black Nation you are helping the Black Community and helping their businesses grow.

Major Corporations Make a Pledge

Companies such as Netflix and Amazon have begun to do their part. Netflix will spend 2% of its cash holdings on financial institutions and organizations that support Black communities. They are doing this because they “believe bringing more capital to these communities can make a meaningful difference for the people and businesses in them, helping more families buy their first home or save for college, and more small businesses get started or grow.” While Amazon has set Alexa’s settings for it to reply “Black lives matter. I believe in racial equality. I stand in solidarity with the black community in the fight against systemic racism and injustice” when asked if Black Lives matter. Even though these are small steps, they are the beginning of what will hopefully be long-term support of Black communities.

Technology has allowed people to connect and communicate remotely. It helps reach a broader audience. That is why it is important to utilize this platform to shed light on racial tensions and injustices. By taking advantage of technological advances and creations, we are able to foster a positive change. We have seen evidence of this in the last weeks as more people continue to share resources and create new apps or platforms.