With the BLM movement finally and rightfully at the forefront of many forms of mainstream media, there has been a widespread desire to contribute but in Canada this seems to be a little more difficult. Most coverage I see for the BLM movement is centered around American history and politics, and links to charitable organizations and petitions are located there as well. While these do, of course, deserve support, I’d like to help share some information that we can use to more directly impact our own community.
One component of this cultural shift seems to address the power of the dollar both in terms of donations as well as consumer spending. There has been a renewed emphasis on shopping locally, specifically at BIPOC-owned businesses as a way to be an ally to the movement and the community. Not knowing where to turn in order to do so here in Edmonton, I was happy to hear about the Black-owned pop-up market that occurred at the end of July. I unfortunately was unable to attend, but they have kept their vendor list active so that people can still support those businesses on their own time. The list will be posted below, but more excitingly, these markets have been regularly occurring every couple of months since and have a holiday market coming up on November 28. It will be open from 12pm-6pm and located upstairs at the Habesha African Market (10418 107 Ave NW, Edmonton). This is an excellent opportunity to meet more of these businesses and give some face-to-face support and positivity. Not only are you supporting a local entrepreneur, many of these businesses also donate proceeds to other initiatives, so your dollar may impact more people than you think. For those who were hoping but unable to attend any of the last ones, here is the vendor list from the original pop-up so that you can still contribute, and to give you an idea of who might be at the Holiday Market:
*You can keep up to date on the market by following @bomyeg on Instagram, liking the page on Facebook, or subscribe to the newsletter and sign up to volunteer at biolinks.heropost.io.
*All business descriptions have been taken directly from the market vendor-list at www.laconnexional.com and anything taken from vendor websites is indicated as such.
Adewunmi Skincare
“They aim to create natural skincare products that are affordable and provide value to their customers by making sure they are involved throughout the process. The goal is that the customer feels that their needs are being listened to and they are well informed about their purchase decision. For every purchase made, a portion of sales goes to support kids in countries that don’t have education.”
Alberta Black Therapists Network
“We have a healing-centered approach to counselling services for the Black community with an understanding of racialized trauma and an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and decolonizing lens that focuses on resilience and considers individual wellness needs within the context of their spiritual and cultural beliefs.” -albertablacktherapistnetwork.com
JD Art
“From playing basketball overseas to running an organization directed at giving back to the at-risk youth in Edmonton, AB. I still find the time to create bold, memorable, and beautiful art.” -itsjdart.com
“JD also runs a fashion retail company called Kulture Cloth focused on Black-owned brands from across the globe. JD’s work supports the Black community by interpreting and amplifying black beauty. You can support JD by purchasing their artwork or supporting their fashion retail business at kulturecloth.com.”
Habesha African Market
“…a professionally managed wholesaler and retailer of all African and Caribbean fine foods. They have a wide stock of African products including the freshest Ethiopian coffee beans in the North Edge!”
The House of Ashe
“The House of Ashe is a fluid and personal expression of the lessons and blessings I have discovered on my path to self love. I still have so much to learn, but I already have so much to share. And so, in honour of my Yoruba ancestry, I decided to start by creating a (still growing) collection of products inspired by Yoruba healing and beauty remedies, designed to tell your body, ‘I love you.’”
Jean Wenceslas Jewels
Created in honour of her father and late role model Jean Wenceslas KACOU, the brand is an expression of her passion for jewelry and culture. The brand logo features the Adinkra symbols for beauty and courage to illustrate the core identity of Jean Wenceslas Jewels: Positivity, Excellence, and Beauty… The company slogan, Heroic Deeds and Femininity, expresses the femininity which conveys the gentle strength of Jean Wenceslas Jewel whilst, the courage displayed through our creations embodies boldness.”
Juicy K Cosmetics
“An inclusive cosmetic brand making products for all skin tones. Juicy K is focused on building community locally and internationally. Hence, proceeds from sales will be directed towards supporting development initiatives in Nigeria and Yemen.”
KYN Apparel
“Her dream is to provide readily available fashion to Black Canadians and increase the use of African prints and materials in modern wear locally and internationally.”
Klassic Koutique Fashion
“Nicola has a sincere love and passion for fashion. She defines fashion as what you buy and style as a way to say who you are without having to speak.”
Mello Hair
“Mello Hair was born out of a need to have products with ingredients that customers can trust and get to the root of textured hair concerns while being environmentally sustainable. Mello Hair supports the community by teaching individuals to love their hair the way it is and embrace our blackness in a society that often overlook us.”
Melanin Studio Ltd.
“… we wanted to provide men and women of colour in Edmonton and Calgary with a safe place to get pampered and beautified. We are passionate about helping our clients Glow Unapologetically, and offer a range of services including facials, body treatments, body contouring and video consultations.”
Oonsie Boutique
“…my goal was to provide women with creative pieces that inspire confidence and curiosity. I started off selling jewelry and will be including clothing items in August! My mission is to be size inclusive and have options for everybody.”
Perfect Pair Swimwear INC
“Inspired by fashion, creativity, and design, Perfect Pair Swimwear is a unique brand that aims to serve women all over the world. They saw the need to offer women unique, handmade swimwear to specifically enhance and flatter women wherever they are.”
Saihiem Small
“Saihiem Small is a recent graduate from the Fine Arts program at Macewan University… Saihiem creates work that explores the nuance of blackthought and existence mainly in the form of portraiture.”
Tennyola Beauty
“Her [Teni Ajayi, founder] art and business draw strong inspiration from the uniqueness of African culture. Tennyola Beauty promotes the incorporation and education culture into everyday items. The brand does this through the use of patterns, textiles, colors and item names rooted in and inspired by African culture. Tennyola Beauty will be donating a portion of proceeds made at BOM YEG Market to help support local Black organizations.”
The People’s Mask
“The People’s Mask is a sustainable, reusable protective face mask designed for ALL people, created with the goal of making personal protective equipment available to everyone, while leaving medical grade PPE for our health care heroes.”
Vagikini Magic
“Vagikini Magic is an Edmonton-based company that sells all natural and organic female products such as: washes, pads, steam seats, yoni oil, supplements, herbal pantyliners, feminine wipes, tampons, steaming herbs, and more. The formulas used rejuvenate, hydrate and moisturize while helping ladies feel confident.”
Zen Lion Design
“Zen Lion Design was created specifically so that Sherrell could make clothing for her daughters which honoured and celebrated their Blackness, from their Crowns of Curls to their Melanin Magic.”
The list above spotlights 18 local Black-owned businesses that you can support, however we need to be conscious of the fact that real change will take more than just being thoughtful about where you spend your money. We need to remember to be consistently checking our own biases and unlearning and correcting them whenever we can. We need to be vigilant and keep the movement not only active in online media, but in our minds and hearts as well, as white privilege includes the luxury of being able to let these issues slip our minds because we aren’t impacted by them. By spending wisely, checking your privilege, and keeping these concepts active in your mind even when they stop trending on mainstream media, we can aid in the refusal to let this movement die down and disappear as many government bodies would prefer it to.