Black Business Month celebrates the importance of Black entrepreneurs

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) – Black-owned businesses are being celebrated across the country during Black Business Month.

Dionne Fraser-Carter is a Black business owner in Atlanta.

She opened Zinah Artistic Retail, a boutique, and gallery, on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in 2017.

“The handcrafted original works of artists of color, fashion designers, jewelers, everything in the creative genre,” Fraser-Carter said, about her business.

The entrepreneur told CBS46 it’s a passion, though, like many businesses, she did struggle.

But as a Black-owned business, Fraser-Carter said it’s been extremely important to keep going and to encourage other Black entrepreneurs to do the same.

“The number one challenge is lack of access to capital for a lot of Black entrepreneurs,” she said.

This month Fraser-Carter is celebrating Black Business Month.

“Black businesses are important because they build community,” she said. “When Black businesses can stand strong, we literally change the landscape.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Black-owned businesses grew from 2017 to 2019 in the U.S.

In 2019, there were around 134, 000 Black-owned employer businesses, an 8% hike from 2018, according to that data.

While Fraser-Carter says since the pandemic, the community has stepped up to help businesses, she hopes that trend will continue.

“People can come in and shop, be intentional about where you spend your dollars,” she said.

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