An initiative that would see Black-Owned Businesses Highlighted for National Black Business Month Launched by Facebook.

Following the support for the National Black Business Month which is in August, Facebook has offered its support by launching an initiative that will both support and create awareness for black entrepreneurs in August.

Facebook made it known that the purpose of the event is to educate and support. The initiative would involve a series of virtual events and programs.

As reported from Facebook (FB) in a blog post, "We’re partnering with the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) to host Black Business August, a series of free virtual training, small business panels and expert speakers that will continue all month long. With 145 Black Chambers of Commerce and 326,000 members across the country, USBC provides leadership and advocacy to empower Black business owners through resources and initiatives. The topics we’ll cover a range from building a thriving online community to adapting in uncertain times to getting access to capital and professional networks. We’ll hear from small business owners like Simileoluwa Adebajo, Head Chef and Owner of San Francisco’s Eko Kitchen, and Omar Kinnebrew, Founder, and CEO of Atlanta’s Bespokuture"

The U.S Black Chambers president, Ron Busby said “This year’s National Black Business Month is pivotal for countless Black entrepreneurs enduring the pandemic-induced recession coupled with historical Black business closures and unemployment,” 

Facebook will also be launching Facebook Elevate, a community that will be geared towards health and wellness, food and beverage, beauty and fashion, and finance and wealth.

Elevate will seek for ways to connect with those who own Black businesses and are willing to share stories of their business journey, the weekly chat will also be hosted with different influencers and creators, other activities like work out sessions will be worked on as well.

For those businesses which the current COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on, Facebook will also have information sessions provided, as it would also be partnering with The Shade Room

Wednesday, August 12 at 10 am the Black Business August program kicked off with sessions from Omar Kinnebrew of Bespokuture and Similwoluwa Adebajo of Eko Kitchen, where they shared on how they connected with their community amid the pandemic. From the same session, you also get to learn from experts on how you can grow your online community.

The event still runs through August and it promises to be of great assistance to a lot of small businesses that are currently facing challenges, which could be a result of the Pandemic or other issues faced by black entrepreneurs.

Facebook’s attention has also been called to issues of racial discrimination and hate speech which exists on the platform, and would need to be attended to as it concerns and affects the black community in a lot of ways.