In honor of National Black Business Month, Facebook will be supporting and highlighting Black-owned businesses through a series of trainings, programming and spotlights on Black-owned businesses throughout the month of August. This is part of Facebook’s ongoing commitment</a > to invest in the Black-business community. Below is an overview with details.
- Black Business August</strong >: In partnership with The US Black Chambers, Facebook is launching a three-part online series consisting of trainings and discussions with Black-owned small business owners and business experts on topics ranging from access to capital to building community. On Tuesday 8/4, people will be able to pre-register at https://www.facebook.com/business/m/black-business-august</a > (link to go live 8/4).
- On Friday, August 7, the series will kick off with an IG Live Q&A with Ron Busby, CEO U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.:</u > Busby will answer questions from our small business community on @instagramforbusiness and @facebookforbusiness.
- Session 1: Building a Thriving Online Community will start Wednesday, 8/12 at 1pm ET and will include programming that reflects the importance of building digital communities. Hear from the US Black Chambers and from local small businesses including Eko Kitchen</a > on how they connected with their community amidst the pandemic:
- Eko Kitchen is the only Nigerian restaurant in San Francisco that opened in May 2019. During COVID-19, owner Simileoluwa (Simi) Adebajo had to close her brick-and-mortar restaurant but didn’t let that deter her from helping her community. She has been preparing meals and donating Eko Kitchen’s food to a local nonprofit that caters to low income households. In fact, despite having been affected by a recent fire that burned down her businesses’ kitchen last week, Simi is continuing to prepare meals</a > for others in need.
- Elevate & Celebrate is a month-long celebration of National Black Business Month from Facebook Elevate</a >, a community and learning platform created to accelerate the growth of entities of color. This programming will highlight Black businesses and creators through a series of engaging social spotlight posts and Facebook Live sessions across Facebook owned channels.
The programming will focus on four weekly themes:
- Week 1: Health & Wellness
- Week 2: Finance & Wealth
- Week 3: Food & Beverage
- Week 4: Beauty & Grooming/ Fashion
- The Shade Room & Facebook Partnership</b >: On Aug 12 at Noon ET, Facebook will host a Facebook Live with Angie Nwandu, founder of The Shade Room, and Ron Busby, CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, to educate the community on the pandemic’s impact on minority businesses and offer an investment to 20 businesses that will include a $1K contribution, IG Masterclass, FB ad credits, and Blueprint Certification Exam scholarships.
