Spending Black Matters aims to strengthen Black commerce

Wilmington-based marketing agency Influencers Lab Media uses the power of social media to do good for underrepresented communities, this time with the creation of the Facebook group Spending Black Matters.

The Delaware-based group provides a community that, in their words, “circulates the Black dollar, develops Black commerce and creates leverage for the Black community.”

“The group was important to create an outlet for the underserved Black and brown people who were going to struggle due to the pandemic,” writes the group’s admin.

The main goal of the group is to increase online traffic to Black-owned businesses and awareness of Black-owned brands. While the group started locally, it has expanded its reach to multiple states, including Georgia, Michigan and Massachusetts, and the team is working to continue to expand the group, including the website SpendingBlackMatters.com, a virtual marketplace where community members can create their own online stores to sell their products, as well as a business directory.

The team also plans to offer learning opportunities for Black entrepreneurs. Spending Black Matters is one of the partners of The Shift, and educational series for entrepreneurs from the WIN Factory and Wilmington Alliance. Two of Spending Black Matters’ founders, Malcolm Coley and Newdy Felton of Influencers Lab Media, are also cofounders of Futures First Gaming, a growing esports and education startup in Wilmington.

Black businesses owners and those who seek to support-Black owned businesses can participate by joining the Spending Black Matters group on Facebook or by following it on Instagram.