Black Pound Day encourages everyone to spend locally or online with Black-owned businesses in the UK.
When is it? The fourth Black Pound Day will be on Saturday 3rd October.
How did it begin? Launched in response to the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, Black Pound Day was developed by So Solid Crew member, Swiss, to empower the Black community in the UK and to help build its economy and infrastructure.
On its website, Black Pound Day is described as a ‘direct and peaceful response to the systematic racism that creates un-equality for the Black community in the United Kingdom’.
It was actually some 12 years ago that Swiss first had the idea for ‘a day where we just poured back into our community economically’, he told The Guardian, having noticed a lack of support for Black-owned shops while growing up in south London in the 1990s.
Taking action and showing support
Black-owned businesses often struggle with significantly less access to capital, so supporting Black Pound Day in the long term will help to create a stronger community, more jobs and bring about a lasting change.
The solution-based community-empowering campaign not only highlights Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, but gives them a platform and the chance to amplify their brand. It’s an ideal time to replace your usual purchases with products from Black-owned businesses, whilst taking action and showing support.
According to the Black Pound Day website, ‘If we spend just £10 a week on Black businesses, we can inject £1.9bn into the Black community.’
Where to start
• There are plenty of UK-based Black-owned businesses to support. For home and interior lovers, we’ve got a list here of Black-owned home decor businesses from ceramics to lampshades to plants to support now and forever.
• Jamii, an online directory and discovery platform, is another great place to start. You can type in the product you’re looking for and use the shop page to explore categories of the best independent Black-owned businesses in the UK. You can also sign up for a gift card, for £14.95 per year, which essentially saves you up to 40 per cent on each purchase on the Jamii website. The card works online and in stores and there’s no limit to how many times you can use it.
• You can also find lots of recommendations, from food to fashion to beauty, using the #BlackPoundDay hashtag on social media.
Don’t forget…
When you make a purchase, spread the word with a post on social media using the hashtag #BlackPoundDay – the recommendation may inspire someone else to make a purchase. You are also encouraged to upload your receipt to the Black Pound Day website.
As Swiss said via The Guardian: ‘If you can spend, spend black. If you can’t spend, give light to those businesses using the hashtag.’
When will other Black Pound Day events take place?
The monthly initiative will take place on the following dates:
- Saturday 3rd October
- Saturday 7th November
- Saturday 5th December
Previous dates:
- Saturday 5th September
- Saturday 1st August
- Saturday 27th June
For more information, visit the Black Pound Day website.
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