For decades Black Friday has marked the biggest shopping spree of the year with steep discounts on electronics, toys, and more on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, Seattle-based Intentionalist and DNA are calling on Seattleites to support local Black-owned businesses on November 24th with a Black Black Friday shopping event.
Shoppers can purchase the Black Black Friday card from the Intentionalist website for a 20% discount and redeem its face value at more than 100 Black-owned businesses participating in the shopping event. The cards can be used both online and in-person.
Participating Black-owned businesses include food and beverage favorites Metier Brewing, Black Black Coffee, Jackson's Catfish Corner, The Station, and dozens more listed online.
"Black Black Friday is a movement meant to empower Seattle's Black-owned businesses by bringing the entire community on board," says the team behind Black Black Friday. "This holiday season, we can all get more by not only saving but intentionally spending at Black-owned businesses around the Puget Sound."
According to the Black Black Friday website, about eight percent of Seattle's population is Black yet less than one percent of Seattle's businesses are Black-owned. At the same time, as many five times as many Black-owned businesses close compared to White-owned.
Black Black Friday is the brainchild of Intentionalist, a social enterprise dedicated to economic equity, and DNA, a Seattle-based advertising agency. Local Black-owned businesses serve on the event's advisory panel, and the 20% discount on Black Black Friday cards is made possible by financial support from BECU, a member-owned credit union.