I was going to qualify the headline of this piece, but realized in doing so I might be part of the problem. It does not need qualifying. It is what it is, proudly and unapologetically.
This year I celebrated 18 years of being in business which began as cooking privately for clients and expanded into consulting, my writing here and eventually copywriting for others. One of my clients is Experience Harlem (@xperienceharlem). Owner Angie Hancock, a Chicago transplant and 17-year Harlem resident, created her platform to support her community and highlight the diversity of businesses.
Hancock used her marketing MBA and vast private sector work experience to grow Experience Harlem to what it is today. She was creating dynamic programming like the first Harlem restaurant crawls on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Lenox Avenue and supporting events like Sundae Sermon all the while consulting with Harlem-based small business services.
Based on her work, Hancock tells me of the 113 businesses included in the first Essential Harlem Guide in 2008, 57% have closed, of which a significant majority were Black-owned. As for our current situation, Hancock says, “41% of Black-owned businesses have closed as a result of the pandemic. Many of them will not return.”
Experience Harlem recently released a list of Black-owned businesses in Harlem, “Guide to Black Harlem.” Please visit www.experienceharlem.com/guide-to-black-harlem-2020-2/ to see who is on the list.
“There is no Harlem without Black businesses.” – Angie Hancock, Experience Harlem