Support Black-Owned Businesses

In Juneteenth and Every Day

Jun 19, 2025

Hi there,

A few notes before we start:

🎙️ WEALTHY The Matriark Podcast launches June 26th, next Thursday, and our first guest is Hall Rockefeller, Founder of Less Than Half. Watch a quick clip here of Hall talking about the biggest faux pas an art collector can make, and stay tuned for our very first episode!
The full video of our amazing Menopause Salon with Wave Wellness is available now in our Salon page to paid subscribers. We are sending an email to all attendees with the great resources mentioned during our Salon.
Susan Sandler and I just hosted another inspiring Salon with Suzanne Tick and her stories were incredible. Besides being an accomplished artist, Suzanne’s grit and determination are truly astonishing. Video for paid subscribers is coming soon, you won’t want to miss this!
I will be on a plane heading to Japan when you receive this newsletter, so we are taking a little break from the Salons until I return, but Save the Day for AUGUST 20th, announcements to come soon! I will share Japan-related content on a special diary here on Substack, so keep checking there for photos, videos and resources.

OK, onto our regular programming. In this newsletter, you’ll read about Juneteenth, get list of companies with a strong edit of Black-Owned brands, and shop some of my favorite black-Owned products. Enjoy!

June 19, 1865.
The day the last enslaved Black Americans were finally told they were free, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, a day to reflect on freedom and resilience. But it’s also a a solemn reminder of everything that was stolen: lives, time, names, and futures.

Before they were ripped from their communities and sold as property, enslaved people were just… people. Mothers. Fathers. Kids. Grandparents. They were artisans, farmers, merchants, healers, minding their own business and living full lives before they were taken, forced to work under violent, dehumanizing conditions for someone else’s gain.

Imagine being a mother and having your child sold at auction and taken from your arms, not knowing where they are going, and never seeing them again because someone decided your family’s pain was profitable. Imagine being that child. That happened. Over and over again.

Non-Black people can’t fully understand the grief they’ve experienced then, and their trauma, pain and heartbreak that echo through generations until today. But as human beings, we can feel empathy and solidarity, and be moved to do something because we actually believe in community, connection, and humanity.

The truth is: the challenges Black people endured didn’t end in 1865. As Nikole Hannah-Jones once said, “We are not free until we have full economic, political, and social citizenship. Emancipation was the start, not the end”.

Just one example of what’s still happening today: Black entrepreneurs face steeper challenges getting loans. The Federal Reserve Banks' 2023 survey found that 41% of Black business owners were denied a loan, compared to 18% of white business owners. And when Black founders do get funding, they’re often charged interest rates that are, on average, 22% higher.

Money is power. We all know this. Support and promote Black Owned businesses. Buy from them. Partner with them. All year long.

When we support them, we’re not just buying a product, we’re honoring and celebrating their work and their ability to survive and thrive in this crazy world that was built against them.

If you aren’t sure where to start, companies like Moda Operandi, Sephora, Target, Nordstrom, Walmart, Macy’s, Ulta, Bloomingdale’s and many more now feature Black-owned and founded brands thanks to efforts like the 15% Pledge. Forbes Magazine listed great ones in this article as well.

I’ve shared a fabulous edit here last year, and those brands continue to produce amazing things, so check them out. I added more below, so next time you shop, make it count. All of these resources will give you tons of options to buy from every day, not just in Juneteenth.

Sending love,

Patricia