Facebook is making it easier for users to find Black-owned businesses on its platform. The new feature is part of the company’s ongoing initiative, announced in June, that aims to aid Black communities.
Admins that manage a Facebook page for a Black-owned business will have the option to self-identify. There is no badge or label that will be displayed to represent these types of businesses on Facebook. Instead, this will allow a business to appear in the “Black-owned Businesses” subsection located in the “Business Nearby” tab. The tech giant is also allowing minority-owned businesses to identify their listings, too.
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Other tech companies are also making it easier to find Black-owned businesses. In July, Google introduced a new badge to represent those specific businesses. Yelp also announced that it would add a new tool, making it easier for customers to search for a Black-owned business.
Facebook also announced that it is allocating $40 million to grants provided to small Black businesses. Black-owned businesses with up to 50 employees can apply for this grant money, and the company will select 10,000 Black-owned businesses to award the funds. In June, Facebook pledged to invest $200 million to support Black-owned businesses and organizations — half of that fund was invested in small Black-owned businesses, creators, and nonprofits working with Black communities, and the remaining half was for suppliers.
