Kwanzaa is a seven-day festival that celebrates the culture, heritage, and values of African and African American people. Each day of Kwanzaa represents a different principle that guides our lives. Today, we focus on Nia, which means purpose in Swahili.

Nia is about having a clear vision of our goals and how we can make a positive impact on the world. It’s about finding our passion and using it to serve our community. It’s about supporting our people and uplifting our sisters.

That’s why we want to introduce you to Buy From a Black Woman, a nonprofit that empowers, educates, and inspires Black women business owners and the people who support them.

Buy From a Black Woman was founded in 2016 by Nikki Porcher, a Black woman entrepreneur who wanted to create a platform that showcases the diversity and excellence of Black women in business. She saw that Black women face many obstacles and barriers when it comes to starting and growing their businesses, such as lack of access to capital, resources, and networks. She also saw that there was a lack of awareness and support for Black women-owned businesses among consumers and the media. So she decided to do something about it.

Buy From a Black Woman provides Black women business owners with the tools and resources they need to succeed, such as educational programs, grants, and mentorship. They also have an online directory where you can find hundreds of businesses that are owned and operated by Black women, from beauty products to books, from clothing to candles, from jewelry to journals, and more. You can browse by category, location, or keyword, and discover new and exciting brands that cater to your needs and preferences. And you can also shop from their Inspire Store, where you can get official Buy From a Black Woman merchandise, such as T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and stickers.

But Buy From a Black Woman is more than just a directory or a store. It’s a movement. It’s a community. It’s a way of celebrating and supporting Black women’s creativity, innovation, and resilience. It’s a way of practicing Nia, by aligning our spending with our values, by investing in our own, by showing love and solidarity to our sisters. When you buy from a Black woman, you’re not just buying a product. You’re buying a story. You’re buying a dream. You’re buying a piece of history. You’re buying a future.

So this Kwanzaa, why not join us and Buy From a Black Woman? Let’s make this a season of purposeful shopping, of conscious consumerism, of Black excellence. Let’s honor Nia and show the world what Black women can do. Let’s buy from a Black woman, today and every day. To learn more about Buy From a Black Woman, visit their website. You can follow them on Instagram too. And don’t forget to share your purchases and experiences with the hashtag #BuyFromABlackWoman.