In Honor of Black History Month

February is Black History Month. Here are a handful of ways you can support our Black businesses and cultural community and honor their contributions and legacy right here in downtown Jamaica:

• Buy from Black-owned businesses: Some of our local Black-owned businesses include (but are certainly not limited to): Henry’s Carrot Cakes, Make Me Over Beauty Bar and Golden Krust. For more ideas Citywide, visit here.

• Promote Black-owned businesses: Share social media posts from Black-owned businesses and help to crowdsource location info on local Black-owned businesses so other customers can discover them too. We’ve noticed downtown Jamaica isn’t getting as much love as it deserves in citywide platforms. So for starters, consider nominating your favorite Jamaica Ave Black-owned businesses to appear on this City-wide list by emailing [email protected].

• Spread the Word: The City of New York has just launched several new mentorship programs to support minority-owned small businesses and advance Black entrepreneurship. If you know of a local entrepreneur who would benefit, please pass this along to them, as well as information about the City’s Department of Small Business Services BE NYC initiative. Our neighboring business support organizations (Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, York Small Business Development Center, Sutphin Blvd. BID and the 165^th Street BID—also frequently post information about loans and grants specifically targeted to Black entrepreneurs in their E-newsletters as well. Subscribe and share their information where you can.

• Support Black Arts on the Ave: Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning is hosting a Black History Month lineup full of dance, film and jazz. Jamaica’s Afrikan Poetry Theatre’s 2021 Black History Month remote Film festival starts tomorrow night.  And part one of Queens Underground’s Black and Brown History Month Film Fest 2021 will take place on February 20. 

View the rest of our e-newsletter here.