What is the Black Exchange?

As social and political unrest swept across our nation after the documented murder of George Floyd, we were left not only with the feeling of extreme grief for someone who could have been our father, uncle, brother, or partner, but with the all too real knowledge that this was in no way an isolated event, and that our lives matter less only because we are Black.

From this grief and ever present trauma, we have also been inspired. 

Inspired to share Black stories. Inspired to uplift Black businesses. Inspired to demand accountability from every single entity that engages with the Black community. 

Whether it is our workplaces or the major corporations with which we spend our dollars, we demanded that they stand with Black people. And not to just stand with us right now because our movement is “trendy” and making noise, but to stand with us moving forward with a level of transparency and advocacy that will change their corporate culture forever.

I am always moved to action, because I am a Black woman. 

But this moment feels different. This feels like Black people are being heard in rooms we aren’t even in. This feels like for the first time, at least in my lifetime, that our hard work and action is creating immediate change.

As a communications professional, I looked at how social activism items moved through our digital and personal spaces and was awestruck by how they did things like; re-open the investigation into Elijah McClains 2019 murder, moved the system to charge George Floyd’s killers at a record breaking speed, and forced almost every single major corporations to say publicly “We support Black Lives Matter.”

Not only are we managing our own narratives, but our narratives and stories are being used as evidence for change.

There are so many individuals and organizations doing the work, and I wondered how I could join this forever important conversation in a substantive way. 

After a month of watching, learning and listening, I came up with the idea of the Black Exchange, a media site and resource hub for the exchange of information regarding important actions happening in communities across the country.

From information on where to vote for a Black-owned food marketplace created to alleviate food discimination that’s in the running to win a $100,000 grant, to what organizations have actions you can support right now, I hope that the Black Exchange will help us amplify Black businesses, Black organizations, Black policy changes, and Black people.

I look forward to exchanging with you!