The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt Black-owned businesses a tough hand. Stifled by stay-at-home orders, on-again off-again store closures and stricter limits occupancy limits, many businesses are struggling to outlast the seemingly unending virus outbreak.&nbsp;



Although they’ve&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/us-black-owned-firms-make-surprise-comeback-to-pre-covid-level/2020/10/28/be1e3100-194b-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rebounded</a>&nbsp;slightly in recent months, Black-owned stores have experienced the greatest decline this year, plummeting from 1.1 million businesses in February to 640,000 in April—a&nbsp;<a href="https://siepr.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/20-022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">41% drop</a>.



But spurred by a national movement to support Black businesses, which kicked off this summer, a new number of corporations are taking small steps to put the Black in Black Friday.



Black Friday online sales pulled in a record $7.4 billion in 2019— the second largest online shopping day ever and a 19.6% increase over the previous year—while the holiday season overall generated more than $72 billion in online sales, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2019/12/02/adobe-data-shows-record-cyber-monday-with-9-2-billion-in-online-sales.html#gs.lqxvdv" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adobe Analytics</a>. Online sales for this Black Friday are projected to generate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/www/us/en/adi/2020/pdfs/Adobe_Holiday_Forecast_Press.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$10.3 billion</a>.



The surge in digital spending over the holiday season and the heightened visibility that’s been awarded to small businesses through corporate sponsorships could have a considerable impact on Black businesses in particular, sustaining them through the a few more months of the pandemic.



Facebook, for one, launched its #<a href="https://about.fb.com/giftguide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BuyBlackFriday initiative</a>&nbsp;and a corresponding toolkit and gift guide in October as part of a broader three-month campaign to buttress small businesses during the holiday season.



The gift guide features products from Black-owned businesses and was curated alongside the U.S. Black Chambers and several corporate partners.&nbsp;



“Black-owned businesses have been hit especially hard by the pandemic, closing at twice the rate of other small businesses,” Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg wrote in a blog post announcing the initiative. She added, “But we know that millions of people want to help.”



The campaign runs through Black Friday on November 27, a symbolic starting gun for the holiday shopping season.



More recently, Google partnered with Grammy-winning musician Wyclef Jean and the U.S. Black Chambers to promote its&nbsp;<a href="https://smallbusiness.withgoogle.com/blackowned#!/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">#BlackOwnedFriday</a>&nbsp;campaign, an effort to make November 27 “Black-owned Friday” and galvanize shoppers to buy Black beyond the Thanksgiving weekend.



The tech giant has also showcased Black-owed businesses on its social platforms since mid-October and now&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Google/status/1331266675543564292" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">allows users</a>&nbsp;to find nearby stores that identify as Black-owned through its search engine.



“I’ve seen firsthand the strain and struggle that Black-owned businesses face,” Jean said in a statement. “For many of them, this holiday season will be critical to their survival.”



TikTok, the latest viral social media platform, threw its weight behind Black-owned businesses months after facing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/1/21277505/tiktok-black-creators-censorship-algorithm-donation-diversity-council" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">censorship allegations</a>&nbsp;from Black creatives in June. Earlier this month, the video sharing platform, which has about 200 million monthly active users in the U.S., launched&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/amplifying-black-owned-businesses-on-tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Support Black Businesses</a>, a digital hub to amplify Black entrepreneurs.&nbsp;



TikTok also announced #ShopBlack, an in-app campaign that allows users to create videos spotlighting their favorite Black-owned businesses or to share their experience as a Black entrepreneur.



As small businesses reel from the pandemic’s economic disruption, many big retailers have had breakaway growth. Amazon’s profits and sales exceeded analysts’ expectations, reporting a 37% sales growth and tripling its third-quarter profits as more shoppers turn to the e-commerce giant during the pandemic.&nbsp;



But celebrities and influencers alike have started to leverage Amazon’s omnipresence to highlight Black sellers on the platform.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oprahmag.com/style/a34480587/oprah-favorite-things-2020-black-owned-businesses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nearly 70%</a>&nbsp;of the products on Oprah Winfrey’s highly anticipated annual list of her favorite things are created by Black-owned or Black-led businesses this year and all are available for purchase on Amazon.



The billionaire media mogul has partnered with Amazon on the list&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/get-your-oprah-on-this-holiday-season-2015-11-05" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">since 2015</a>&nbsp;and her yearly picks have provided brands with considerable gains in sales since the list’s 1996 advent.



Black Americans have developed a growing presence among small businesses owners and could stand to gain considerable sales from dedicated shopping holidays like Small Business Saturday, which raked in an estimated<a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191201005232/en/American-Express%E2%80%99-10th-Annual-Small-Business-Saturday%C2%AE-Hits-a-Record-High-with-an-Estimated-19.6-Billion-in-Reported-Spending" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;$19.6 billion</a>&nbsp;in 2019. And while physical distancing measures will significantly curb foot traffic this year, more than 112 million Americans visited a small business on that day last year, a record high.



As shoppers increasingly reject winding lines that snake around the store, a trend that’s long been in the making but was exacerbated by the pandemic, they’re also looking to support independent local businesses, providing a potential economic windfall for Black businesses with an online presence this holiday season.



-by Ruth Umoh, Forbes Staff

man in black carrying bags, legs only

Black Businesses Receive Tech Industry Push Ahead Of Holiday Shopping Bonanza

With Christmas fast approaching, African shoppers are snapping up festive decorations to add some sparkle to the holiday season. 



 Reuters photographers took the streets of cities across the continent to capture traders and hawkers selling everything from Santa hats and fake beards to colorful tinsel and shiny tree baubles.In Nairobi, Joseph Muli said trees and inflatable Santas were his best-selling items. 



In mainly-Muslim Dakar and in Abuja &#8211; whose population is split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims &#8211; vendors Pap Modoo and Eko Onyewuchi both said they sold a lot of festive hats.



“Christmas is very important in my country,” said Abidjan street vendor Kone Aicha. “People like to celebrate and they buy lot of goods even if the prices are high.”



Like others she bought her stock locally &#8211; from Chinese merchants. -Reuters



-Luc Gnago, Zohra Bensemra, Thomas Mukoya and Afolabi Sotunde

RC19BE6C6C00

Santa Hats, Beards and Tinsel: Christmas Trade on African Streets

It is so easy to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. What can you do this year that epitomizes the true spirit of Christmas?
A definition of a philanthropist is someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being. This could include giving your time, money, or reputation to charitable causes. By giving back to your community or missionary organizations you give yourself the opportunity, and the privilege, of making a positive impact on other people’s lives. Material possessions will ultimately lose their shine, but through philanthropy, one can make an impact and shape or even save lives.
Is there a particular cause that you have considered supporting? This might be a good time to crystallize your strategy for this. Review your finances to decide how much you can afford to give. Will it be a one-off donation or is it something you can continue to commit to year on year. Narrow your choices down to a few charities or initiatives that you can identify with and do some research on them to ensure that their ethos and mission aligns with your core values; then choose one or two to support. Follow up to see the impact your action is having.
While we all love to see the excitement on children’s faces on Christmas morning as they open their presents, try to emphasize the non-material aspects of the season, such as family, fellowship and thoughtfulness. It is not enough to just tell them to be charitable and kind, our own actions in supporting others or changing lives will speak louder than anything we can say. We must guide them through a program of action so that it becomes ingrained in their psyche.
The high cost of living and unemployment means that many people face a dreary holiday season and cannot afford much this Christmas. If you are fortunate enough to have an overflowing basket or trolley, why not shop for another family that is facing difficult times and then have it delivered to their doorstep.
There are so many people in need of the simple things that so many of us may take for granted. Get together with a few friends, put some money together and take some gifts to the elderly who have found themselves in retirement homes. Cheer them up; the gift of happiness and good stimulating company for an elderly person, who might be lonely during the holiday season, would make a huge difference.
Do you often reminisce and complain about how things used to be at your old school and how standards have now fallen? Why not do something about it? With an endowed gift you can provide permanent support for the educational institution. Your contributions will be invested and each year a distribution made to fund the program or area that matches your particular interest. Once it is officially established, you or anyone else may continue to add to the fund at any time.
Gifts do not only have to be of a financial nature. There are several other ways to give meaningfully. The possibilities of giving of your time, experience, talent and intellect are endless and by sharing your knowledge with others you can add sustained value to your community.
As we get caught up in the whirlwind of festivity, socializing and shopping, it is little wonder that we often forget the true meaning of Christmas. How can you make a difference? If you haven’t been doing much for others before now, this is a good time to start. As you prepare for Christmas, remember to be a blessing to others. Merry Christmas!
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For more personal finance tips, please follow Money Matters With Nimi on Twitter: @MMWITHNIMI and Facebook: MoneyMattersWithNimi

Tag: Christmas

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Black Businesses Receive Tech Industry Push Ahead Of Holiday Shopping Bonanza

Santa Hats, Beards and Tinsel: Christmas Trade on African Streets

What Impact Will You Have?