DETROIT – A new crowdfunding campaign is looking to take a different approach to lifting up the Black community.
“We’re trying to support the whole infrastructure of Black-owned business. Whether that’s a nonprofit, a social enterprise, a small mom-and-pop shop up the street,” said Sirrita Darby with Minority Freedom Community Fund.
The community fund started a crowdfunding campaign called the Black Bottom Campaign to raise funds for Black-owned businesses and nonprofits across the country, including in Detroit.
“If you’re not familiar with Black Bottom, just before the 1960s, it was that thriving Black neighborhood where we had these businesses and communities that were thriving. So we launched this campaign and we noticed that these Black-owned businesses are struggling,” Darby said.
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Darby said the goal is $10,000 and the campaign is going to last for 90 days. Partners have already donated $8,000 and every dollar will go to those businesses or nonprofits.
“We’re a new organization. We’ve only been around a couple of years now,” said Jon Barrow with U are Hero Foundation.
Barrow said the foundation provides resources so that others can empower the community.
“I’m big on youth sports, so we do a good job on trying to coordinate funds with that. Can we? Absolutely, we can use money. Football season is starting up, it’s a lot of kids out here, a lot of parents who have multiple children who can’t afford to pay for all of them. So that’s what happens. If mom can’t afford to pay for two or three, nobody gets to play,” Barrow said.
Barrow said they will be having a Food Distribution on at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 10. The distribution will be located at 14830 Telegraph Roaqd, Redford Township.
For more information, visit www.uarehero.com
For more information about the 2021 Black Bottom Campaign, visit https://bit.ly/blackbottom2021, email info@mifreedomcf.org, or text 810-377-5165.
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