
โBest ofโ lists are a great way for businesses to raise awareness and draw in more customers, but Black founders arenโt reaping the benefits of such acknowledgements.
Per a report from Connecticut Public by Shanice Rhule, Connecticut-based Black-owned businesses expressed their bewilderment and frustration over constant disregard from publicationsโ ranked lists.
The outlet spoke to DeAndrea Abrahams, a West Hartford salon owner whoโs business is booming, but she has yet to be featured in any local magazines.
โIโve been in business for eight years,โ Abrahams said. โCOVID happened, and a lot of other businesses closed โฆ [but] that didnโt happen for me. I grew actually even more during that time frame.โ She adds: โIt definitely crosses my mind, it is a bit bothersome,โ she said.
The outlet points out that the lists are usually created lists through surveyed opinions from readers, their editorial teamsโ knowledge or third-party sources.
This isnโt reliable enough according to Yvette Young, an initiative lead for ShopBlackCT.com, an online directory for Black-owned businesses in Connecticut.
โIt would be good for these other larger publications to start embracing the richness of the culture that exists in Connecticut,โ Young said. โAre [publications] willing to say, โLetโs make sure we put in a more diverse group of businesses so that the output will be more representative of the communities that we serve?โโ
This lack of Black business recognition was called out last year when the New York Times chose to not include any Black-owned restaurants in a report highlighting Detroit local businessesโ economic impact of the Lions playoff run leading to the NFL Super Bowl. The problem is, this omission was particularly egregious since the city is majority Black.
Ken Coleman, a senior reporter at Detroit non-profit news outlet Michigan Advance wrote in an X post, โDetroit is 77% Black. 57% of the NFL is Black. Not one African-American-owned business mentioned in this New York Times piece.โ
This is especially disappointing since it has been noted that these sort of recognitions can significantly lead to more patronage for Black businesses. For instance, a 2023 study suggests that Black founders can solicit more support in parts of the country when they make their presence more known using platforms like Yelp to boost awareness.
โCollectively, our findings suggest that digital platforms can effectively boost the performance of minority firms, particularly during a time of increased national awareness of the challenges that Black business owners face,โ the authors shared in their study. โThese effects depend on the specific area and population that is targeted.โ