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Forbes: Black-Owned Businesses To Support Part One

Voting with your pocketbook is one of the best ways to effect change in a capitalist society.


The U.S. is home to roughly 2.5 million black-owned businesses, according to the Census Bureau. Although the vast majority are sole proprietorships or small-scale affairs, an increasing number have regional reach and national ambitions. Below, we resurface 10 black entrepreneurs who have recently been featured in Forbes and provide a directory of an additional 65 black-owned businesses to support. It is by no means an exhaustive list: We aren’t including numerous high-profile celebrity entrepreneurs like Oprah Winfrey or Rihanna or the many successful black business owners who sell services to other corporations, like World Wide Technology’s David Steward.

These entrepreneurs and owners sell cosmetics, clothing, books, cars and financial products that you can buy. Fewer offer healthcare or consumer tech products, in part, because they lack access to venture funding. If you are interested in learning more about other black-owned businesses, there are a number of apps and directories online, including The Buy From A Black Woman Directory, The Black-Owned Market, Etsy’s Black Owned Shops, Black Enterprise’s Top 100 list, Bank Black and Bon Appetit’s list of Black-owned restaurants.

Part One


Cosmetics & Skin Care


AJ Crimson Beauty
Founder: AJ Crimson
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Description: makeup for all ethnicities, shades
Website: ajcrimson.com
Instagram: @ajcrimson

Black Girl Sunscreen
Founder: Shontay Lundy
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Description: sunscreen products
Website: blackgirlsunscreen.com
Instagram: @blackgirlsunscreen

Danessa Myricks Beauty
Founder: Danessa Myricks
Headquarters: New York City
Description: cosmetics brand
Website: danessamyricksbeauty.com
Instagram: @danessa_myricks

Foot Nanny
Founder: Gloria L. Williams
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Description: aromatherapy foot products
Website: footnanny.com
Instagram: @footnanny

Golde
Founders: Trinity Mouzon Wofford, Issey Kobori
Headquarters: New York City
Description: smoothie boosters and face masks made with superfoods
Website: golde.co
Instagram: @golde

KNC Beauty
Founder: Kristen Noel Crawley
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Description: natural, collagen-infused face masks
Website: kncbeauty.com
Instagram: @kncbeauty

The Lip Bar
Founder: Melissa Butler
Headquarters: Detroit
Description: custom, vegan lipsticks
Website: thelipbar.com
Instagram: @thelipbar 

Mented Cosmetics
Founders: KJ Miller, Amanda Johnson
Headquarters: New York City
Description: cosmetics in inclusive shades
Website: mentedcosmetics.com
Instagram: @mentedcosmetics

Pat McGrath Labs
Founder: Pat McGrath
Headquarters: New York City
Website: www.patmcgrath.com
Description: cosmetics brand from influential makeup artist
Instagram: @patmcgrathreal

Uoma Beauty
Founder: Sharon Chuter
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Description: cosmetics in inclusive shades
Website: uomabeauty.com
Instagram: @uomabeautyon


Haircare Products


Camille Rose
Founder: Janell Stephens
Headquarters: Macon, Georgia
Description: handmade and all natural hair and skin products
Website: camillerose.com
Instagram: @camillerosenaturals

Curlbox
Founder: Myleik Teele
Headquarters: Atlanta
Description: monthly subscription box of curly hair products
Website: curlbox.com
Instagram: @curlbox

CurlMix
Founders: Kimberly and Timothy Lewis
Headquarters: Chicago
Description: organic haircare products for curly hair
Website: curlmix.com
Instagram: @CurlMix

The Cut Buddy
Founder: Joshua Esnard
Headquarters: Pittsboro, North Carolina
Description: hair template for cutting
Website: thecutbuddy.com
Instagram: @thecutbuddy

Myavana
Founder: Candace Mitchell
Headquarters: Atlanta
Description: personalized hair products
Website: myavana.com
Instagram: @myavanahaircare

Melanin Haircare
Founder: Whitney and Taffeta White
Location: Boston
Description: natural hair products designed for black women
Website: melaninhaircare.com
Instagram: @melaninhaircare

Pattern Beauty
Founder: Tracee Ellis Ross
Headquarters: El Segundo, California
Website: patternbeauty.com
Description: hair products for five hair texture types between 3B (medium curly) and 4C (super kinky)
Instagram: @patternbeauty

Rucker Roots
Founders: Ellen and Ione Rucker
Headquarters: Waxhaw, North Carolina
Description: natural hair products designed for black women
Website: ruckerroots.com
Instagram: @ruckerroots


Fashion


 Aminah Abdul Jillil
Founder: Aminah Abdul Jillil
Headquarters: Las Vegas, Nevada
Description: luxury shoes and boots for women and kids
Website: aminahabduljillil.com
Instagram: @aminahjillil

BLK MKT Vintage
Founders: Kiyanna Stewart, Jannah Handy
Headquarters: New York City
Description: vintage collectibles celebrating black culture
Website: blkmktvintage.com
Instagram: @blkmktvintage

Bolé Road Textiles
Founder: Hana Getachew
Location: Kingston, New York
Description: textiles made by artisans in Ethiopia
Website: boleroadtextiles.com
Instagram: @boleroadtextiles

Brother Vellies
Founder: Aurora James
Headquarters: New York City
Description: handcrafted shoes and accessories from African artisans
Website: brothervellies.com
Instagram: @brothervellies

Cherry Blossom Intimates
Founder: Jasmine Jones
Headquarters: Glenarden, Maryland
Description: bras for women who have had mastectomies
Website: cherryblossomintimates.com
Instagram: @cherryblossomintimates

Cushnie
Founders: Carly Cushnie, Michelle Ochs
Headquarters: New York City
Description: women’s ready-to-wear and accessories
Website: cushnie.com
Instagram: @cushnie

The Folklore
Founder: Amira Rasool
Headquarters: New York City
Description: clothing, accessories and housewares from designers based in Africa and the African diaspora
Website: shopthefolklore.com
Instagram: @thefolklore

FUBU
Founder: Daymond John
Headquarters: New York City
Description: hip hop apparel
Website: fubu.com
Instagram: @fubu

Hanifa
Founder: Anifa Mvuemba
Headquarters: North Bethesda, Maryland
Website: hanifa.co
Description: women’s apparel
Instagram: @hanifaofficial 

Hope For Flowers
Founder: Tracy Reese
Headquarters: New York City
Description: sustainable clothing for women
Website: hopeforflowers.com
Instagram: @hopeforflowersbytracyreese

Kahmune
Founder: Jamila Acheampong
Location: Columbia, Maryland
Description: shoes sold in 10 inclusive shades of nude
Website: kahmune.com
Instagram: @kahmune

Mateo New York
Founder: Matthew Harris
Headquarters: New York City
Description: fine jewelry with diamonds and gemstones
Website: mateonewyork.com
Instagram: @mateonewyork

Pyer Moss
Founder: Kerby Jean-Raymond
Headquarters: New York City
Description: fashion brand
Website: pyermoss.com
Instagram: @pyermoss

Telfar
Founder: Telfar Clemens
Headquarters: New York City
Description: unisex bags
Website: telfar.net
Instagram: @telfarglobal

The Sixes
Founder: Franci Girard
Headquarters: New York City
Description: fashion for tall women
Website: thesixes.com
Instagram: @thesixesnyc

The Wrap Life
Founder: Nnenna Stella
Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York
Description: head wraps, headbands, turbans and bandanas
Website: thewrap.life
Instagram: @thewraplife

Unwrp
Founder: Ashley Fouyolle
Headquarters: New York City
Description: sustainable gift wrap, greeting cards and home décor in bold designs
Website: unwrp.com
Instagram: @unwrp

UjuuMedia
Founder: Kelechi Anyadiegwu
Headquarters: New York City
Description: marketplace for emerging brands from around the world
Website: ujuumedia.com
Instagram: @ujuumedia


Finance


Ariel Investments
Founder: John Rogers
Headquarters: Chicago
Description: mutual funds
Website: arielinvestments.com
Instagram: @arielinvestments

Industrial Bank
CEO: Doyle Mitchell Jr.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Description: banking and financial services
Website: industrial-bank.com
Instagram: @bankindustrial 

OneUnited Bank
Founder: Kevin Cohee
Headquarters: Boston
Description: country’s largest black-owned bank
Website: oneunited.com
Instagram: @oneunited

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