DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Though Black History Month is almost over, you can still support Black-owned businesses with the Friends of Midtown initiative.
If you make a purchase from a black-owned business in the Midtown area, send a picture of your receipt to the organization. You will then be entered in a raffle to win a $100 Visa card.
You have until Sunday, Feb. 28 to enter the raffle and win a $100 Visa gift card.
"Midtown Harrisburg has a rich history of Black business owners," said Katherine Talada, co-chair of the Business Committee of Friends of Midtown. "That has somewhat been, I believe been lost over time, and I think it's our human nature to look at the brick and mortar, the places, the restaurants,"
According to a report, from February to April 2020, Black businesses dropped by 41 %. Latinx business owners declined by 32 % and Asian business owners decreased by 26 %. White business owners fell by 17 %.
Talada says she hopes this initiative encourages people to shop Black-owned consistently.
"If we do that, we'll have a thriving Midtown that will be inclusive, and that's really important to us," said Talada.
In July of 2020, the organization released a resolution statement to support racial justice and equality. In the statement, Talada said the organization wanted to support Black-owned and minority businesses in Midtown.
This year, Talada says the statement was implemented with the April 2020 campaign called One Midtown to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. These two ideas were created to form the One Midtown: Shop Black-Owned campaign.
Friends of Midtown is a non-profit organization dedicated to the economic and cultural development of the neighborhood.