Last Updated on July 1, 2025 by BVN
Overview: Black America is flexing nearly two trillion dollars in buying power this year, but the average Black-owned employer business still pulls in barely a million a year. The article highlights the importance of supporting local businesses rather than celebrity brands, which can make 500-plus times what the average Black-owned shop does. It also suggests paying the sticker price, boosting free marketing, and holding giants accountable for the gap between Black-owned businesses and celebrity brands. The article concludes that support in our community isn’t a discount, it’s an intentional decision to treat our own expertise like the luxury it is.
Dorian Southall
Support Isn’t a Selfie—It’s a Choice (and Sometimes a Check)
I learned what real support tastes like long before I could julienne an onion. It was my mama doubling the collards for a neighbor who was short on groceries, my Marine brothers covering each other’s six when the heat was on, and the aunties passing the plate before they fixed their own. Support was steady, unfussy, and yes—it came at full price.
Two Wallets, One Community
Black America is flexing nearly two trillion dollars in buying power this year, but the average Black-owned employer business still pulls in barely a million a year. Meanwhile, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty alone cleared well north of half a billion. Do the math: One celebrity brand makes 500-plus times what the average Black-owned shop does. That gap isn’t macroeconomics—it’s dinner-table decisions piling up.
The “Hook-Up” Hang-Up
Here’s where it stings. Inside our circle, we’ll slide into the DMs with:
“Cousin, can you bless me with that friends-and-family price?”
“Why so much for just chicken and waffles?”
“I got you next Friday, promise.”
But roll out a celebrity drop—hair oil, liquor, sneakers—and we tap add to cart before the glitter settles. We’re haggling with the hometown hustler while handing full fare to superstars who’ll never know our names. That’s like asking your grandma for a discount on her peach cobbler, then tipping 25 percent at Cheesecake Factory.
When Star Power Hijacks the Cash Flow
Beyoncé’s hair-care line Cécred landed in 1,400 Ulta stores this spring and racked up $13.9 million in earned-media value and 253 million impressions in a single month. Rihanna did something similar when Fenty rewrote the beauty rulebook, posting $72 million in EMV in its first month and forcing legacy brands to diversify overnight.
I salute that excellence. But every viral unboxing of a celebrity product can also drown out the local stylist compounding edge-control in her garage or the neighborhood roaster perfecting Ethiopian beans.
Parasocial Love vs. Local Legacy
Social feeds make us feel tight with people we’ll never meet. Beyoncé posts her wash-day ritual and the Hive descends on Ulta. That glow-up is beautiful, but the algorithm doesn’t care if your neighbor’s edge-control formula ever sees daylight. If we’re not intentional, celebrity glare can blind us to the brilliance brewing next door.
What a Real “Hook-Up” Looks Like
Pay the sticker price: Exposure doesn’t cover rent.
Match your splurge: Drop $40 on that celeb cleanser? Spend $40 with a Black-owned indie brand the same week.
Boost for free: A Google review or an Instagram tag is a Michelin star in the search-engine world.
Hold giants accountable: Cheer the celeb lines that fund scholarships and supplier-diversity programs; pressure the ones that don’t.
From My Stove to Yours
Support in our community isn’t the discount you pry out of your cousin’s catering quote. It’s the intentional, sometimes uncomfortable, decision to treat our own expertise like the luxury it is. Next time you’re tempted to haggle with a neighborhood chef while dropping retail on a superstar brand, remember: you’re not just spending money—you’re curating tomorrow’s cultural menu.
A real hook-up isn’t a markdown; it’s a lift-up. Let’s season our future with equity, not entitlement, and leave every plate and every business better than we found it.
You can find Chef Dorian on Instagram @chefdoriansouthall or @scratchtestkitchen. You can also reach out to him via email at info@scratchtestkitchen.com.
