*Issa Rae is calling on Black-owned businesses to certify their brands through the ByBlack initiative, which is the “first national certification program exclusively for Black-ownership designation.”
Rae is supporting American Express and the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.’s (USBC) joint effort to expand their ByBlack initiative.
Here’s more from AfroTech:
The free first-of-its-kind platform — which was designed as a directory for Black-owned businesses — will now offer Black business-owners the opportunity to easily obtain approved accreditation that their customers and other companies can trust when spending with them. President Ron Busby tells AfroTech that the new program will provide new benefits and opportunities for Black-owned businesses in America to continue growing and flourishing.
“We are thrilled to team up with the USBC to expand the ByBlack platform,” Jessica Ling — senior vice president of Global B2B Marketing at American Express — tells AfroTech. “Seventy-five percent of corporations source diverse suppliers through certification programs – yet there is no nationally recognized, free, widely available program out there specifically for Black-owned business certification. As we have seen countless corporations pledge to diversify spending with Black-owned businesses to help address inequalities, we believe this is a way to put action behind those pledges.”
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“ByBlack not only helps Black-owned businesses access opportunities for growth that come with accreditation, but it also helps large organizations, such as American Express, fulfill commitments to spend with these businesses,” she adds. “We plan to increase spending with Black-owned suppliers to at least $100 million annually by the end of 2024 and encourage other companies to join us in leveraging the ByBlack platform.”
“As the first certification for Black-owned businesses that aims to be recognized by many large corporations, ByBlack is shining a spotlight on Black-owned businesses — allowing them to unlock more ways to reach new customers and more contract opportunities,” says Busby.
Added Rae in a statement, “We have only scratched the surface of the collective power of Black businesses, so I am excited to join American Express and the USBC to shine a light on the opportunities ByBlack presents. ByBlack is a powerful platform that connects Black business owners with new revenue streams and helps all of us find and shop at standout businesses. Together, we can spread the word to support small Black businesses.”
For more information about the ByBlack certification program, click here.
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