At Zozimus, it’s part of our ethos to celebrate diversity and treat all with kindness and respect, while advocating for causes that are important to us. This month for Black History Month, we’ve compiled a list of ideas for how your brand can shine a spotlight on supporting Black individuals and causes this month, and all year long. Let’s get started.
Support Black Owned Businesses
In recent years, the support of small businesses has increased as customers lean away from mega-conglomerates and focus on small, local businesses. For Black-owned businesses, they face additional hurdles outside of the standard small business owner struggles. These can include overt and covert racism that directly affect their sales, potential business loans, and neighborhood support.
In an effort to support these small businesses, try partnering with a local Black business owner and shining a spotlight on your social account. This could be through a local event shop and learn, social promotion collaboration, or simply a carousel spotlighting the business on your brand social account. Creating a direct connect with a local Black-owned small business not only supports their business, but connects your brand further to your local community.
Share Black Literature
Similarly to supporting local Black-owned businesses, consuming Black literature helps Black authors be supported and allows their voices to be heard. There are a plethora of influential Black authors both classic and contemporary, including the classic American poet activist Maya Angelou, and Brit Bennett of the recently popular New York Times Bestseller “The Vanishing Half”.
Celebrate Black authors through your social channels by sharing your internal team’s favorite reads. Additionally, ask your fans on social for their recommendations and repost to stories, or create social squares. Don’t forget to tag the authors on social to help bring exposure to their literature!
Donate to Black Causes
With ongoing protests surrounding Black causes and inequality, it’s vital to support Black causes and organizations. Many of these organizations are working with limited budgets and are in need of donations from brands and individuals alike. Research local and national Black causes that align with your brand ethos to donate to. Some impactful organizations to consider are Black Youth Project, The Loveland Foundation, and Amistad Law Project.
Consider an internal fundraiser at your organization to support the cause of your choice. Spotlight the non-profit you’re supporting on social media with education around the organization, and encourage your fans to participate in donating or giving their time to the cause.
Participate in Black History Month Celebrations
With the move to digital over the pandemic, this year there is no shortage of virtual events to participate in. From virtual book readings, to history talks, and Black activist Q&As, there are plenty of options to choose from to participate and promote. Research local and national opportunities to participate in internally or on social. We recommend exploring the offerings from the Smithsonian or the virtual festival from ASALH.
For virtual and in-person teams alike, consider selecting a few virtual events for your team to participate in. Share with your fans on social to watch along with your team, and share your thoughts and response to the content you’ve seen. Be sure to include the viewing link for easy participation on your social channels.
Continue the Conversation
Most importantly for Black History Month, your advocating shouldn’t end in February. Think about how you can continue the conversation throughout the year and beyond. How can your brand incorporate these values into your content and voice? What steps can you take to continue the conversation within your organization and on your social channel? Connect your fans to causes your brand champions, and participate all year long for impactful change.
BOSTON, MARS
