I thought it would be a rewarding challenge to try to spend my part of One Large at a black-owned business in Australia, where I live. Other than a couple of aboriginal artists whom I know personally, I didn't know of any black-owned businesses in my city. I found a website (black business finder: http://bbf.org.au/) that was helpful. Most businesses on the site are consultancies and trades - not so easy to spend ten dollars at. I did find a framing business an hour's drive away.
This project has been on my mind pretty regularly since receiving the money and I found myself telling people about it.
Incidentally some friends and I had set each other a challenge to make 'commercial art' (loosely defined) for each other a couple of weeks after I returned from the USA. I decided to give each of them $10 Australian to spend at a black-owned business of their choosing over the next month. I will visit the framing business again. My friend Leena has already spend her $10 and wrote to me about it:
This project has been on my mind pretty regularly since receiving the money and I found myself telling people about it.
Incidentally some friends and I had set each other a challenge to make 'commercial art' (loosely defined) for each other a couple of weeks after I returned from the USA. I decided to give each of them $10 Australian to spend at a black-owned business of their choosing over the next month. I will visit the framing business again. My friend Leena has already spend her $10 and wrote to me about it:
Hi,
I was in Highfields on Sunday doing Mother's Day things and I was in a shop of many scented candles and local honey and placemats with sayings like "There comes a time in every lady's life when she will have to show her underpants to the world" with a picture of a woman cartwheeling carefree on the beach.
There were some coconut oil products for sale and it turns out the company is a Torres Strait family business. It was initially aided by the Regional Indigenous Enterprise program but it now self funded. I tried the coconut oil lemongrass body balm and it was so good. I thought I would place an order online, direct from the makers and see if anyone else wanted in. Let me know if you're keen, what you would like and we can save on postage.
Here is a web address: http://www.kaiziscoconutoil.com/
Leena.
One Large participant: KW
Name of black-owned business: Exquisite Framing
Location: Queensland, Australia
Race/ethnicity of participant: White Australian
