To our surprise, a few weeks ago we found out that Brian Williams decided to shut down PurchaseBlack.
PurchaseBlack has been a premier online marketplace for purchasing merchandise from black owned business. For all intents and purposes, it was “our” version of Amazon. Along with We Buy Black, it was one of two options for consumers to purchase products directly from black business owners.
Brian published a farewell note that touched on many of the reasons he decided to shut down the company. While I agreed with many of his points, this one stood out:
“There’s the elephant in the room, and I have been living with it for years. Black people, simply, are not very motivated to support Black owned businesses. We see it as a “favor” sometimes, something that’s novel to do, but not a part of our cultural existence. Buying Black is not a part of who we are as Black people.”
Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality that prevents back business directories from succeeding and going viral. Although everyone agrees that everyone “else” should buy black, it’s yet to become a part of our economic DNA.
We applaud Brian for his work with PurchaseBlack, and we appreciate the time, energy, and money he contributed to the cause. Shifting the mentality of black America is a daunting task. We’re confident that Brian and PurchaseBlack planted seeds of awareness that IABB and others will continue to water.
Brian is selling a pdf of all businesses on his site for $14.99. Visit his site for more info.