From baobab to BAOBOB

In the unlikely instance you’ve been asleep, let me tell you, there’s a tremendous shift underway where thousands of first, second, third generation Black families, and others, are being systematically displaced from Berkeley, Oakland, and all over Bay Area cities. San Francisco, in particular, has unfortunately already taken heavy hits from this shift. (Anybody remember the Fillmore District?) The shift is based in economics, deep historical inequities, inflated real estate markets propped up by city politics that favor big business over community.  Wouldn’t be so bad if employment in these industries prioritized equity in the communities they affect.  But they don’t.  It is hard to see what’s  happening to our homes, businesses, and schools here in the Bay Area and sit still, which brings me to the topic of strengthening black businesses. BAOBOB was created to put the power of local economic support back into our hands. BAOBOB  (Bay Area Organization of Black Owned Businesses) is a membership organization committed to connecting, promoting, informing and representing Black-owned and led businesses and non-profits throughout the Bay Area. BAOBOB is committed to working for the economic empowerment of Black people, our offspring and our allies in the inner city.  In addition to making it easier to find the Black-owned businesses selling the products and services we need, our mission is to reinforce a climate of collective economics and fortify those businesses to thrive in a detrimental business environment.

Raising the interests of Black-owned businesses effectively means being clear about the hurdles and challenges business owners are facing. Many organizations propose to know what’s needed, but what does the business owner themselves say they need? Who’s asking the real questions and getting the true picture?

BAOBOB  is locally focused.  We’re close to our members.  And, as BAOBOB evolves we see new ways to evolve our members’ businesses.

Here are just a few of the ways you can be part of the BAOBOB change right now:

1. Talk to us! That is, we’ve created a 4-minute survey for BAOBOB members to tell us exactly how to help your business thrive and grow. If you’re already a BAOBOB member,  can complete the survey here:  
2. Join Us! Not a member?  You can become a member now and participate in the survey today.
3. Hang with us! We regularly host BAOBOB’s #BizOpenMic mixers at local black-owned eateries. where you can meet and collaborate other black business owners. Next mixer is: Dec. 27.  Save the Date!!  
4. Keep it Lit! Join us on Facebook, Instagram,  and Twitter and stay updated on all the  BAOBOB events, workshops and news.  Sign up here to join the mailing list.

This year, we lost too many, solid, long-established Black-owned businesses: Pican’s in Oakland, 1300 in SF, Coffee With A Beat at Lake Merritt, to name just a few.  In truth, it’s hard to know exactly how many businesses we’ve lost. Perhaps we need to start keeping closer connections and do more to save a Black business before closing it as the only option.    In nature, the baobab tree gives sustenance and nutrition to the community around it.  BAOBOB the organization is here to listen closely and serve.  The more effective we are, the more BAOBOB is like the baobab, and that’s a good thing.