Imagine being so angry that you sign up for kickboxing because you are scared you would end up in jail.
That was me!
You might be wondering what got me on the wrong side of the bed. I wish I could say it was something petty or just me caring too much about silly things. I was actually furious about something that was life or death and I cared and still care very deeply so I had to do something- ideally something constructive.
The Rise of a Movement
Like much of the world, I was on edge, being in a global pandemic with COVID-19 and going into lockdown in the U.S. in March 2020. So May 25, 2020 was just too much to bare, when a Black man in Minnesota by the name of George Floyd was murdered by a white police man. This murder started a chain reaction throughout the States of riots and protest but also around the world. A wave of sudden interest in the experience of Black people in the U.S. became relevant and trendy.
With people posting on social media #blacksquares and bloggers and influencers alike posting Black Influencers/Business/Organizations/etc. to follow on social media. Black influencers double, tripled, or even quadrupled their followings, what felt like overnight, myself included. People were trying to unlearn and relearn what they thought they knew about the Black experience in the U.S. All this continued to grow as more Black lives were taken like Breonna Taylor by the hands of the police.
Figuring Out What Do I Do
I was a walking tornado of emotions and struggled for a few weeks on how to manage them all while still working. When taking time to process and figure out my next steps, I heard a lot of “I didn’t know”, “Where do I find?”, “I had no idea” when I shared about sustainable businesses by people of color on my blog or Instagram. Through taking some time to reflect on what was happening around me, I noticed I had a platform, values I cared about, and a voice I could use to make a positive difference.
So I got to work.
I began to dive into research and started making a list of Black sustainable businesses. As the months passed, I broadened my research to include Latinx/Hispanic, Indigenous, and Asian sustainable businesses. I started to collect dozens of businesses then hundreds by early 2021.
Then my big question was how do I share this resource with the world?
Sharing is Caring
After months of research, I decided to make the resource an online directory available through a membership. I used this model for people to access my resource for much of 2021. However, with the start of 2022, I decided I didn’t want to make another barrier to entry in living a low waste lifestyle or in being a conscious consumer when there are already so many. So as of January 2022, A.Y.O. Business Finder is now free of charge. I am so excited to share this resource with more people and forever grateful for the individuals that invested in this resource from the beginning.
Thank you !
What can I expect for 2022?
NEW BIZ ADDED TO FINDER
New sustainable businesses will continue to be added to this Finder every quarter or three months, so you stay up to date on the latest businesses.
MORE BIZ INFO ON SOCIAL MEDIA
You can expect to see more businesses from the Finder elevated on Instagram and Tik Tok.
BIZ HIGHLIGHTS ARE COMING BACK
They are back in 2022 for Round 2! Make sure to tune in on Mondays and Wednesdays to meet the person behind the businesses on IG Live. If you missed the lives, check out the blog versions to not miss a beat.
I’m sharing my why incase this provides hope to someone else that has gone through a challenging time, to see that you can use hard times in life to create something beautiful that helps others.