Don’t Buy Black Out of Anger—Buy to Honor a Legacy

During my fireside chat with Maggie Anderson, I walked away with something I can’t shake: we often Buy Black as a reaction—not a commitment.

After George Floyd was killed, we saw it. Black-owned businesses were flooded with orders. Directories were created overnight. People were searching for new places to spend their money. Not because they suddenly believed in Black businesses, but because they were mad. Hurt. Angry. The same pattern happens every time a corporation quietly ends their DEI program or when the latest “ally” shows their true colors.

But here’s the problem with that pattern: emotions fade. Anger burns hot but short. And when it cools, so does the urgency to support Black-owned brands. That’s why we must change the logic around why we Buy Black.

We shouldn’t Buy Black because we’re mad.

We should Buy Black because our ancestors were murdered for doing exactly that.

Think of the sundown towns—places that weren’t just hostile, but strategically ethnically cleansed. Think about Black Wall Street, about Rosewood, about the thriving businesses that were burned down and the entrepreneurs who were lynched not because they committed crimes, but because they had the audacity to be successful while Black.

This isn’t about guilt. It’s about gratitude. Buying Black is how we honor the sacrifices our ancestors made. It’s how we correct the violence of erasure with intention.

Brea Baker put it clearly in Rooted:

“The Great Migration is an era when Black wealth was stolen and siphoned away… ended with the family’s eviction from their land.”

So no—don’t Buy Black because you’re mad. Buy Black because it’s your responsibility. Because when Black people own businesses, they plant the seeds for independence, stability, and legacy. And those seeds are ours to water.

We keep Black businesses open not as a trend, not as a protest, but as a promise.

To our past.

To our future.

To ourselves.