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Self-sustainability was one of the primary concerns according to a group of black business owners who participated in Down Home North Carolina’s online community event.
"When times get tough (black businesses) are where we have to go because commerce is to be had,” said Justasia Drayton of Down Home North Carolina, who hosted the event.
Down Home North Carolina is a working families advocacy group, based in Alamance County, that works to enrich communities. Friday’s event was the most recent in a series of online discussions geared toward organizing ahead of the 2020 elections. Its purpose was to name and discuss issues and common challenges black businessmen face.
Event participants agreed that the primary hurdle to self-sustainability is a lack of knowledge of the existence of black businesses.
Shineece Sellars, the new Executive Director of the African American Cultural Arts and History Center, said the Alamance community is need of two kinds of black businesses in particular, grocery stores and gas stations. Speaking about grocery stores, Sellars said it’s also important to support black farmers.
That struck a nerve with LaShauna Austria, who is in the process of building her own farming business.
“We haven’t rebuilt the infrastructure around black farming, we have to redefine some stuff on who can grow food and who can farm,” Austria said. “The whole notion of farming, that you need x acres of land, is a lie. If we don’t feed ourselves we will be in the conundrum of not being able to spend our money where we want to spend.”
Austria volunteered to build a website that features a comprehensive list of black-owned businesses.
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Locals meet, discuss ways to promote black businesses
