Beyonce Knowles Carter In the wake of the death of George Floyd, it’s been widely acknowledged that one of the best ways to foster real socioeconomic change is by supporting black-owned businesses – something Beyoncé has encouraged since the beginning of her decades-long career. This Juneteenth, however, she’s taken her message one step further, launching Black Parade Route – a full section of her website devoted to promoting black-owned brands. With subcategories ranging from Art & Design to Fashion, Restaurants & Bars to Beauty, the list was curated with the help of costume designer Zerina Akers – who launched a dedicated brand index, Black Owned Everything, earlier this June.
“Happy Juneteenth!” Beyoncé writes in her introduction to the project. “Being Black is your activism. Black excellence is a form of protest. Black joy is your right.” Among the dozens of brands highlighted by the initiative? Sustainability-focused streetwear rental platform Seasons;cruelty-free fair-trade brand Hanahana Beauty, whose Ghanaian shea butter products have a cult following; and Pur-Home, a revolutionary eco-friendly range of natural cleaning products.
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A post shared by Beyoncé(@beyonce) on Jun 19, 2020 at 6:47pm PDT
Meanwhile, Beyoncé also released her first solo single since her contributions to the soundtrack for 2019’s The Lion King. Co-written by Jay-Z, the activist anthem “Black Parade” directly references the Black Lives Matter protests: “Trust me, they gon’ need an army / Rubber bullets bouncin’ off me / Made a picket sign off your picket fence / Take it as a warning.” Proceeds from the song will go towards BeyGOOD’s Black Business Impact Fund, administered by the National Urban League, to “support Black-owned businesses in need”. Listen to the track in full below – then get shopping.
