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We’ve prepared some helpful suggestions on how to observe National Black Business Month. As our official poster reads,

“The Most Important Thing We Can Do Right Now is What They Did Back Then—Support Black Business”.

31 Ways, 31 Days

Friday, Aug. 1 Invest in a black-managed public firm

Companies founded by black entrepreneurs like American Shared Hospital Services are traded on major national exchanges. A list is found at blackmoney.com

Saturday, Aug. 2 Deposit in a black financial institution

For more than 150 years, black banks, insurers, savings and loans and now mutual funds and investment banks have raised the money for homes, college, businesses and churches, ,but there is a stigma among our own people. Yet it is the major Wall Street houses and multinational banks which perpetrated the subprime scourge on minorities. Deposits in community banks give them the ability to help clean up the mess.

Sunday, Aug. 3 Buy grocery products by a black manufacter or in a black owned grocery.

From Glory Foods to Smokey Robinson, ask your grocery for the items which provide the distinct flair of black cuisine.

Monday, Aug. 4 Buy books from a black owned bookstore or from a black publisher.

Publishing is a field in which black entrepreneurship creates the innovation and creativity that competes with larger companies. It does make a difference whether one buys a book from Third World Press or one of the majors.

Tuesday, Aug. 5 Donate to a civil rights group.

The NAACP and other groups fought for 60 years to achieve the Civil Rights Act of 1964. At that time, 80 percent of all blacks were laborers or domestic workers and the average black income was $3,000. Now the $30 Billion Negro of 1968 has more than $700 billion in aggregate income. What a return on investment.

Wednesday, Aug. 6 Support an historically-black college or university

An equally good investment has been the care that these institutions have placed into millions of blacks who have moved into the middle-class. UNCF and the Thurgood Marshall Fund give easy ways to give something back.

Thursday, Aug. 7 Shop online with a black owned web site.

Choices like Black Planet, Black America Web, both owned by Radio One, AA Connection.com support employment opportunities in the cutting-edge technology field. It is also represents a low-cost way to enter entrepreneurship.

Friday, Aug. 8 Eat at a black-owned restaurant

The more than 20,000 black eateries nationally are the visible face of black entrepreneurship and anchors for their communities. The field is getting an infusion of new blood, often with experience in top-flight restaurants.

Saturday, Aug. 9 Buy from a black farmer or vintner

Reviving black agribusiness is essential in an age of sustainability. The embedded experience of remaining farmers needs to be transferred to a new generation. Farmers markets like Mo’Betta in Oakland give youth the ability to see black farmers in the flesh. The African-American Vintners Association has become wildly popular, causing many to seek viticulture as a second career.

Sunday, Aug. 10 Support a black church

The largest business in many black communities is the black church, not only in the size of its structures, but also by providing housing, and other services. Contemporary churches are learning to channel the accumulated power of their memberships to generate savings for members. Even if not a member, find a way to support one of its activities.

Monday, Aug. 11 Call a black realtor

With the epidemic of foreclosures in our communities, realtors have the knowledge to either save homes or connect with willing buyers to prevent vacancies that destabilize whole neighborhoods.

Tuesday, Aug. 12 Contact a black doctor or dentist

Many of the health disparities start with a reluctance to seek medical help. Your local doctor, who can be found through their trade associations, can provide a welcoming face to guide you to wellness.