H&M USA and Buy From A Black Woman kicked off the 2022 Inspire Tour. The event started in New Orleans with a celebratory dinner hosted by artist, poet, activist and author Cleo Wade. BFABW’s new documentary, “The Story Behind A Black Woman,” was followed the next day by the tour’s pop-up at H&M’s French location. This highlighted Black women-owned businesses from all over the country.
2022 Inspire Tour
On June 30, H&M and non-profit Buy From a Black Woman celebrated the start of their 2022 Inspire Tour. The tour is now in its second year, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The evening began with a special screening of the non-profit’s new documentary, “The Story Behind a Black Woman.” The screening was at the New Orleans’ WB Collective in the heart of the Warehouse Arts District. The film examines Founder Nikki Porcher. It explores the background of her non-profit, as well as its effect on Black women business owners. Following the screening, guests were led by a classic New Orleans brass band to a dinner at Calcasieu. The evening was hosted by Cleo Wade, in celebration of the start of the Inspire Tour the following day.
“As a New Orleans native, it’s so special to me to be supporting Buy From a Black Woman. I’m honored to kick off their Inspire Tour 2022 here in the Crescent City,” says Wade. “I’m inspired by the work Nikki Porcher and what the organization has done in empowering Black women business owners. I look forward to continuing my work with them this year.”
Pop-up shops
The Buy From a Black Woman Inspire Tour is a series of pop-up shopping events across 12 U.S. cities. It highlights local Black women-owned businesses and provides them options in a world that limits their voice. July 1 marked the beginning of the Inspire Tour in New Orleans. On July 1 and 2, customers began shopping for a variety of products ranging from skincare to wellness.
“I’ve often said that Buy From A Black Woman brings Black Women into spaces that we never thought we could imagine, but that is not true,” says Nikki Porcher, Founder of Buy From A Black Woman. “The Buy From A Black Woman Inspire Tour has proved that wrong. Black women do imagine these spaces, we just do not often get the chance that we deserve. Sadly, there are people who believe Black women do not belong in certain spaces. That is why this partnership with H&M is such a valuable one. H&M is one of the few companies that continues to stand up and show their support to Black Women Business Owners. H&M gave Black women space.
We live in a country that uses Black women as examples without ever admitting how inspired they are by the way that we, Black women, are living. Black women are the living examples and I am excited to travel the country and showcase all the things that we can do.”
Events
Events in New Orleans, Dallas, Oakland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Memphis will be hosted in H&M stores where customers can meet and shop from local vendors. The event will feature a variety of businesses ranging from skincare and stationery to home accessories and more. Many of those featured support additional causes, standing true to Buy From A Black Woman’s motto, “When you support a Black Woman Business Owner, you support a whole community.”
“Thank you to Cleo Wade for joining us to host tonight’s joyous dinner. We appreciate her taking the time to lend her support and her voice to our celebration of Buy From a Black Woman and the start of the Inspire Tour 2022,” says Donna Dozier Gordon, Head of Inclusion and Diversity for H&M Americas. “We continue to be proud of the partnership we’ve forged with Buy From a Black Woman which exemplifies our commitment to meaningful community engagement.”
For images from the screening/dinner, click here.
To watch “The Story Behind a Black Woman”, click here.
For a full list of Inspire Tour stops, click here.
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