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Lift Every Voice & Support Black Businesses During Black History Month!
Written by Rj Ross | February 7, 2021
Source: Vevolution
February is here, the shortest month of the year! The month where Aquarius season ends and Pisces season begins. The month where we celebrate holidays like Valentine’s Day, Carnival, and Superbowl Sunday. But that’s not all we celebrate in the second month of the calendar year (at least in North America). February is also Black History Month, a month celebrating Black culture and Black people who pave the way for many generations to come. What better way to celebrate Black History Month than to shop and dine Black? We at ecomadic have put together a list of eco-accommodations, socially responsible eateries, social enterprise shops, and ethical tours for you and your bucks to bask in throughout February.
Eco-Accommodations
Akwaaba B&B
Source: Akwaaba B&B
Price Range – $$$
A place to stay safe and small, Akwaaba’s bed and breakfast inns are the perfect places to stay when in need of a getaway. In five different locations (Brooklyn, New York; Cape May, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Poconos, Pennsylvania; and Washington, DC), Relax in a hospitable home filled with gorgeous decor, hearty and healthy breakfast options, spacious areas, all which are located in areas walking distance to many wondrous attractions. When you’re not exploring the city culture, you can experience a slice of Black culture from the comfort of your room; read various literary works by African American writers in the DC Inn, or vibe to the sounds of Phildelphian musicians when staying at the Philadelphia Inn! Wherever you stay, Akwaaba will provide many beautiful, unforgettable memories!
Wanderstay
Source: Wanderlust
Price Range – $$
If a hotel or inn is out of your budget, this hostel in Houston will give you enough bang for your buck! With prior experiences in staying at a hostel, Wanderstay CEO Deidre Mathis wanted to provide a space for out-of-towners to bond and build relationships, while allowing them to experience the city life of Houston, Texas, without having to worry about pricey lodging costs. Once you awaken from your slumber on the hostel’s high-quality mattress, and grab a cup of its complimentary tea and coffee, check out the local restaurants, lounges, and museums that are just a 10 minute walk or bike ride (bikes are available to rent at Wanderstay). Also, depending on where you go, you may get a discount, compliments to the Houston hostel! Grab your lone stars and come on down to Wanderstay for an inexpensive, H-town adventure!
Social Enterprise Shops
Washington Ave
Source: Washington Ave
Price – $$
This online boutique is “making old things new”, as its Instagram tagline reads, with upcycle fashion! Based in Louisiana, Lakeitha Washington (also known as Ms. Kaye) prides in making her customers feel fierce and fabulous in vintage and reworked clothes she crafts and sells, such as reworked Lucia blazers and vintage Mickey crops, and many other sets frequently dropping on Friday (classified as “New Arrivals”). Be sure to have your credit card or other forms of payment (listed on the website) ready for an upcycle experience like no other!
Brother Vellies
Source: Brother Vellies
Price – $$
Keeping traditional African practices and techniques alive, Aurora James created Brother Vellies to craft beautiful shoes, handbags, and other cultural decor for your buying pleasure. Though located in Brooklyn, New York, Brother Vellies works with artisans in many countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, and Haiti, to produce alluring accessories, in a responsible fashion. All accessories use natural and recyclable material (e.g. hand carved wood; floral dyed feathers; products sourced from farmers) and all craftspeople are always in contact with Aurora James and the team to ensure their working conditions are safe and ethical. Shop on their website to invest in a portion of the many cultures sculpted into eco-friendly attire and accessories.
PUR Home
Source: PUR Home
Price – $$
You want to look fine, but your humble abode wants to look finer! That’s when PUR Home comes along with cleaning products to keep your residency relieved of any waste! PUR Home specializes in cleaning products that are not harmful to anything or anyone it comes in contact with. Using biodegradable products like citrus peel oils, glycerin, and aloe vera leaf juice (all ingredients can be found on the website) in their sprays, sanitizers, soaps, and detergents, your kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms will be feeling fresh and organic as Mother Nature herself intended. Another amazing aspect of this company is that it’s Leaping Bunny certified – meaning that none of the products were tested on animals. A company that spreads awareness on proper treatment to the environment and the laborers who help manufacture products, it takes a mere spray and swipe to clean your home with PUR Home’s biodegradable products!
12th Glow
Source: 12th Glow
Price – $$
After a stressful day, sometimes it’s just nice to relax with a beverage, some smooth jazz, and a few lit candles. 12th Glow fulfills the latter. In the name of self-care, 12th Glow shares with you its assortment of candles and wax melts to ease your mind and let the candlelight make your inner glow shine! Candles such as “Boss Up”, “Bae”, and “Relax, Sis” are all made with vegan products, and are manufactured by wax companies that value the environment and human life. Aside from selling candles, the company also hosts workshops and events (often via Zoom and Instagram Live) to uplift their clients, and guide them to a life of positivity. Be sure to attend one of them to ignite your inner peace and happiness!
OUI The People
Source: OUI the People
Price – $$
Instead of constantly using plastic razor blades on your skin, why not use a stainless, durable, and recyclable steel one instead? In hopes of lessening landfills of waste, OUI The People created a sustainable razor and organic gels, masks, and toners for healthier skin. Besides the usage of natural and reusable material in the products, the packaging of said products are also recyclable, such as airless and glass bottles for the shaving gels and body glosses, respectively. Alongside caring for the environment and the consumers’ skin, founder Karen Young wants the consumers’ psyche to be cared for as well; the brand prioritizes the idea of loving one’s skin, and cherishing it without feeding into the beauty standards of desiring skin that is “flawless” or “ageless”. Shop online now, and trim into sustainability and self-care.
Kimella Co.
Source: Kimella Co.
Price – $$
“Packed and produced with lots of love”, Kimberlee of Kimella Co wants buyers to know that each product she crafted has her feelings and yours in mind! From soy candles, corrosion-resistant earrings, natural and phthalates-free carpet fresheners and room sprays, and custom-made refillable lighters, Kimella Co is the business that handles health, wellness, and harmless, cruelty-free creation with high regards!
Socially Responsible Eateries
Vurger Guyz
Source: Vurger Guyz
Price – $$
Nothing makes street life in downtown LA more exciting than enjoying street food. Now the excitement doubles when you can enjoy vegan street food made by four former NCAA athletes! Vurger Guyz is a food truck eatery, specializing in vegan burgers (called “vurgers”) and tacos, cooked in avocado and rice bran oils for your nutritional enjoyment. A space for vegans, this establishment welcomes newcomers into the herbivorous haven with their spin on typical street food, to let newcomers know that they’re not missing out on tasty treats when transitioning to this lifestyle. In fact, the business has a “one bite” policy, where if you take a bite and don’t enjoy it, the meal is on the house (or truck, in this case). However, after you take one bite of a “Smoky Sunset”, “Santa Fe”, or “Sunrise” vurger, you’ll definitely won’t leave a morsel of their veggie burger masterpieces!
Silverback Coffee of Rwanda
Source: Silverback Coffee
Price – $
“Born from adversity, cultivating unity” Jack Karuletwa produces coffee at his Los Angeles coffee shop using an eco-friendly smart roaster, and coffee beans from his home country, Rwanda. With each cup, his goal is to protect and uplift Rwandan farmers and their natural resources, as well as preserve the endangered species native to Rwanda: the silverback gorilla. When coffee connoisseurs purchase a Rwanda Morning Light, Rwanda Distinctive Dark, or a Decaf, a portion of that purchase goes to organizations such as Gorilla Doctors and Foundation Rwanda, to help the wildlife, the environment, and the people of Rwanda. If you need a healthy, coffee blend, Silverback Coffee of Rwanda is worth the spend!
Uptown Vegan
Source: Uptown Baker
Price – $$
For our readers with a sweet tooth, this vegan bakery business in New York City is the spot for your confection cravings! Given these are sweets, you may gain a pound or two; but if you’re not vegan, you’ll also gain a new, delicious perspective on desserts not made with animal-based products (cow milk, butter, eggs, etc.). If you live in the New York area, you can find their snickerdoodles, Banana Chocolate Walnut Bundt cake, and many other desserts in other black-owned businesses such as Brooklyn Tea, and Greedi Kitchen. Do not fret if you don’t live in the Big Apple, for the bakery ships out cake jars and cookies throughout the United States!
Mo’Pweeze Bakery
Source: Mo’Pweeze Bakery
Price – $$
The Garden State is home to many treats such as Atlantic City and the Real Housewives of New Jersey; but, it’s also home to a shop that sells goodies that will stimulate the sweet part of your taste buds! Mo’Pweeze is a family-run bakery that not only produces vegan and kosher sweets, but sweets that are free of various allergens, such as dairy, gluten, nuts, shellfish, etc. The purpose of this bakery is to provide a flavorful experience to those with food allergies and other dietary requirements, as well as showcase that food without the typical ingredients can be just as palatable. One bite of their gluten-free banana apple bread, their mango habanero cauliflower wings, and their vegan-certified Hamentashen, you will definitely return and ask “more, please!”
Ras Plant Based
Source: Ras
Price – $$
In a town that’s considered the melting pot of cultures, Ras Plant Based finds itself fusing traditional, Eithiopian culture with New York City and vegan culture in the form of a restaurant. Recipes handed down from generation to generation, Romeo and Milka Regalli interpret and produce wonderful, Eithiopian dishes, such as tibs, injera, and kitfo, but make it suitable for a vegan diet, and with the flare of the concrete jungle that is NYC. For a plant-based paradise in your mouth, and an authentic Eithopian ambience from foods, restaurant decor, and the dishes being named after places and nobility titles in Ethiopia, this eatery is the spot for you!
Ethical Experiences
caribBEING
Source: CariBEING
Price – $
Located in the Little Caribbean region of Flatbush, New York City, CaribBeing’s goal is to uplift the Caribbean community in New York. Through various events (pop-up shops; art exhibitions), and various collaborations (local museums; Lyft; AirBnB), step by step, the community is getting stronger! What can you do to support, you ask? If you can’t attend the shops or the CaribBeing house, you can buy their various clothing merchandise that are hand-stitched by the Little Caribbean locals, so that every dollar is able to strengthen the community and allow everyone to prosper!
All Bout Dat Tours
Source: All Bout Dat Tours
Price – $
Want to learn about life in the Big Easy through the Black lens? Mikhala Iversen Afropean has arrived with her All About Dat Tours in New Orleans, Louisiana. Through spoken word and jazz music, Mikhala wants to give guests a history lesson about the Black experience in Louisiana that many other tours would often glamorize or tone down the harsh realities of what many Black people endured. When not discussing their plight, Mikhala also showcases the prosperity of the Black, Louisiana locals via the various Black-owned shops and eateries you’ll see throughout the tour. Due to the current times (COVID-19) there are a limited number of tours and spots to attend said tours in order to be health-conscious; therefore, it’s best to secure a spot for a one-of-a-kind experience swiftly!
meet the author
Rj Ross
Rj Ross is a writer at ecomadic. With his BA in communications and love for creative writing, he hopes to inspire and inform many generations about sustainable living and responsible traveling.
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