We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give."
Community Conversation
Making it easier to go the extra mile
You make likely hundreds of decisions a week that are micro-opportunities to be an effective ally. From the workplace of choosing vendors and new hires, to home of selecting where you buy food and gas, to your relationships of who you spend time with, you have more influence than you think in how our world is shaped.
And of course, how currency flows is a huge determining factor in who has power and choice in our society. Where money goes, prosperity in other areas follow. For too long, people of African heritage have been deprived equal access to financial wealth, and as a result, have suffered greatly in comparison to people with lighter skin.
We’ve compiled these three resources to help you make informed choices about who you’re supporting with your consumer choices, to learn about an important historical event in the trajectory of growing Black wealth in America, and to be invited to grow on the Ally Ring journey with us through Robert’s story of going the extra mile to set up an account with a Black-owned bank.
P.S. Don’t forget to let us know your feedback, stories, and questions! And check out our resources page for information on the 4-Step Journey of becoming a more effective ally.
Resources
Article & Link Compilation
15 Black-Owned Small Business Directories
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
From local restaurants, to global jet-setting stays, to making your next online grab, these directories have it all, and we mean it! With these extensive lists, you’re guaranteed to be successful in leveraging your next purchase decision to support Black ownership.
Want a business that’s also LGBTQIA+ friendly, accessible, woman-owned or somehow supporting a marginalized group? Many of these directories have that search function as well!
Ally Ring Article
Nobody Said It Was Going to Be Easy
Robert MacPhee
As Ally Ring is laying the foundation to inspire a movement to heal racism, every little decision we make is setting the pattern for how we will make all our decisions in the future, especially the bigger ones. And…we try not to let that slow us down! However, when we take what seems like the longer route to be in alignment with our values, it’s always a leap of faith where we can’t see the outcome but trust that it’ll be worth the effort. And ultimately get us closer to our goals, faster. Time and time again that proves itself to be true.
Read this story of Robert’s journey to set up Ally Ring with the closest Black-owned bank to Northern California…
Interactive Image & 3-D Map Story
What the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Destroyed
New York Times
At its core, racism is about power and control. In our world, that is measured by money. The idea of separate races was fabricated for people with paler skin to acquire and keep wealth. To protect their wealth, society needed to “buy in” to the belief of people with paler skin being somehow naturally superior to people with darker skin in order to justify the inequality. As this fallacy of white superiority has been challenged over time, there are countless tales continuing to this very moment of white supremacy brutally retaliating in order to gain financial capital.
The story, and lived reality for so many, of the Tulsa Race Massacre is a heartbreaking one that highlights how challenging it is in our racist society for people with darker skin to gain and grow wealth. While being immersed in this history, ask yourself, what would life be like today if the Tulsa Race Massacre hadn’t happened? Or its history hadn’t been buried? And how might we right the wrong?