WASHINGTON — The summer of social justice calls launched an initiative to share Black stories. One group is trying to do just that. Black weekly culture started off as a website and now they’re expanding on their mission with a new app.
While systemic issues in society are being brought to the forefront of discussion, Jeremiah Chapman with Black Culture Weekly said it’s time to expand their reach.
“The situation that we're in, just as a country right now, and you know just, just where we are with everything from you know Breonna Taylor to George Floyd, as well as the COVID pandemic, the digital divide was a huge part of why we're doing what we're doing,” Chapman said.
Chapman said Black Culture Weekly will meet their diverse audience where they are.
“People spend about 80% more time on apps as opposed to websites," Chapman added. "We needed to create something that was easy for people to download and use on an everyday basis. The app is currently live in the Google Play Store, really exciting, and it will be live in the Apple Store within the coming week.”
The goal is to create a central location for people to access information about Black businesses and news in an attempt to educate and inform an audience who’s often felt ignored.
“There are different kinds of factions within Black consumer leadership, right? So you may be a business-minded person who's consuming Black Enterprise. You may be a millennial customer Blavity, and so on and so forth. And so we wanted to kind of offer fluidity in that space,” Chapman said.
The group is also looking to help Black businesses in expanding their online and social media platforms.
“We're seeing reports of Black businesses on decline of up to, you know, 40% of our businesses being on decline. And so, we're offering a website and app donation services to Black businesses.