Make Social Justice Your Business

As a woman and a small business owner, I have a lot to contend with to be heard and stay competitive in these challenging times. One thing I am not, however, is a person of color. This is where another level of bias is placed on top of everything else we carry. I don’t know that burden, but I see it and it matters.

It weighs on me that there should be more actions I can take to work towards social justice for all while still working on my own business. The common areas that affect social justice are equity, access, participation, and rights.

Here are just some of the ways to address those areas and be part of the positive change.

·        Make social justice a part of your core values and business mission.

·        Hire with diversity in mind.

·        Volunteer to mentor those with fewer opportunities than you had.

·        Take a stand for others. When we sit back and only watch we are changing nothing. Whether it is speaking up, writing articles, getting on boards and committees, or connecting with local lawmakers, movers and shakers, you have the power to make a change when you get involved. 

·        Find others who share your values and see where you can contribute. A local influencer, TV personality and author, Jasmine Stringer, has started a marvelous campaign called #sharethemicmn. Her goal is to give more Brown/Black women in Minnesota additional exposure by allowing them to connect and engage with new audiences through others sharing their own social media such as Twitter or Instagram.

This is a short list, but any of those actions or ones you come up with will count! The loss of Breonna Taylor and the upsetting outcome of her case was one more wakeup call asking us to use our influence as entrepreneurs to make a difference in how everyone is treated and make our world a more equitable place.

Only you can decide the level to take on. Even small steps are a good start to any long journey. Oh yes, one more way to affect change…VOTE!

#socialjustice #gettinginvolved #equity #smallbusinessstrong #justiceforbreonna #jasmmine stringer #sarahmorreimphotography #vote @jasminestringer