City Urging Shoppers To Order From Black-Owned Businesses This Black Friday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Black Friday shopping won't be the same this year, because of the pandemic, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot says it's an opportunity to support Black-owned businesses.
Today the city announced "Black Shop Friday," a partnership with the Chicago Urban League and Chicago ad agency O'Keefe Reinhard & Paul, encouraging Chicago residents to shop online or order food to go from Black-owned businesses on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
"Supporting Chicago's small businesses has been a priority of mine since even before taking office," Lightfoot said in a statement. "This inspiring partnership allows Chicagoans to discover the hundreds of Black-owned businesses in our city, driving the investment dollars that are needed now more than ever, and giving everyone a chance to make this new shopping holiday a huge success."
The campaign includes a new website, BlackShopFriday.com, which will launch on Nov. 24, offering a guide to more than 500 Black-owned businesses in the city. The site will allow users to search by category and/or neighborhood to find gifts they are shopping for this holiday season.
"We know that Black-owned businesses have less access to capital and other resources needed to be successful," Urban League president & CEO Karen Freeman-Wilson said in a statement. "Black Shop Friday is an important campaign to raise awareness of these challenges, while also providing a mechanism for people who want to be intentional about supporting black businesses."
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