Bringing customers into the doors of local Black-owned businesses is the focus of a new campaign being launched by Prince George’s County, Maryland.
County executive Angela Alsobrooks announced Friday that the county’s Buy Prince George’s Initiative was started to build on efforts already being made to identify, promote and ultimately patronize Black-owned businesses during National Black Business Month, which runs all of August.
“Black-owned businesses across the nation have been hit particularly hard by this pandemic, so during National Black Business Month, we want to use our Buy Prince George’s Initiative to celebrate, promote and support our local Black-owned businesses,” Alsobrooks said in a news release.
“Small and local businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we will continue doing everything we can to ensure they recover from this pandemic stronger than ever before.”
Some examples of the campaign in action have been “Takeout Tuesday,” as well as all customers at Black-owned businesses being encouraged to use the #BlackOwnedPGC on social media.
The goal, the release said, is for the hashtag to help residents find and support Black-owned businesses, which the county will add to its list of local businesses.
The attention being paid to Black-owned businesses is a new branch to the county’s Buy Prince George’s campaign that was started to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Prince George’s business community.
The initiative, done in conjunction with the county’s Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Corporation and Experience Prince George’s, is to make sure local dollars are going toward local businesses.
“Black-owned businesses are an important and driving force in our local economy, creating jobs, making investments and creating opportunities that shape the business landscape,” said David Iannucci, president and CEO of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation.
“When small businesses flourish, so do their communities. It is encouraging to see the growth and entrepreneurship represented in the Black-owned businesses in Prince George’s County.”
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