OBWS seeks crowdfunding to launch mega ‘buy black” app

Following the success of Official Black Wall Street’s(OBWS) web-based platform featuring over 1,900 listings by black-owned businesses, the social enterprise known as the “black yelp” is crowdfunding to make buying black even easier through the Official Black Wall Street app.

With black businesses only getting 2% of the black community’s $1.1 trillion buying power, Brooklyn native and founder Mandy Bowman, 26, believes this is the next step to reaching economic empowerment and combating many of the injustices that occur in our community. Once fully funded, the new app will give users the ability to find local black-owned businesses on the go with full listings, advanced Google maps, ratings, reviews, directions, and special offers to further incentivize users to buy black. Users will also be able to receive news, learn about events, and visit message boards to help exchange resources and business tips.

“This is something I really believe in and I know it will have a major financial impact on our community. After all of the tragic events that have affected us lately from Philando Castile to Alton Sterling, it is extremely important for us to protest with our money. We’ve learned through history that policies are changed when bottom lines are impacted. The Official Black Wall Street app will undoubtedly take this movement to another level,” said Mandy Bowman, founder of Official Black Wall Street.

Since its inception in 2014, Official Black Wall Street has been recognized by various publications from Madame Noire to Bossip and has grown to over 110K engaged followers across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. With two weeks left to raise $31,500 for app development, Bowman says she is confident that the community will pull together to fully fund the project.

For more information and to make a pledge, visit www.kickstarter.com.