The topic of economic empowerment is one of the most important and essential conversations that needs to continue to remain a primary focus in conversations about Black progress in America. Last year, we saw a shift in focus of just having conversations about race and social justice but also a focus on supporting black-owned businesses.

According to a 2018 study by Nielsen, which tracked the impact of black consumerism, the Black community has the spending power of $1.2 trillion dollars. With over 50 million spent on ethnic hair and beauty aids. Industries such as the hair care industry specifically market and profit off of the black aesthetic. Rarely do we see these funds get redistributed back to the black community. Community staples such as beauty supply stores are dispersed throughout neighborhoods that predominantly cater to the African American community but it is a rarity for these supply stores to be black-owned. Through this commodification of black hair care needs, it has continued to allow opportunities for profit from everyone else but the people the industry solely profits from.

Local businesses such as Essence Beauty Supply and Universal Beauty Supply and Salon located in Oakland, California have managed to stay afloat despite the many obstacles they continue to face being one of the last black-owned supply stores in the East Bay. From issues such as maintaining business with product distributors, Oakland gentrification, and even newer disadvantages brought on by the pandemic, just having conversations about supporting black-owned business isn’t enough. Conversations need to transition into action to create better opportunities for economic infrastructure in the black community. Both Essence Beauty Supply and Universal Beauty Supply and Salon are an example of the perseverance of black entrepreneurship but also showing that there is still more that needs to be done.