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Declaring each Friday in December 2024 as "Shop Black Business Friday" in the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Black culture runs deep among Philadelphia's historic sites, artistic havens, cultural offerings-and in Philadelphia's many Black-owned shops, restaurants, and other businesses; and
WHEREAS, These businesses are enjoyed by visitors to Philadelphia and its residents and provide local jobs, goods, services and amenities in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia, including historically disadvantaged communities; and
WHEREAS, Historical structural inequities and systemic racism have presented barriers for Black and Brown entrepreneurs and small business owners to open, operate, and grow; and
WHEREAS, The Pew Research Center reports that while the number of Black owned businesses is growing in the US, Black- and Brown- owned businesses accounted for only 3% of all businesses with race and ethnicity data in the Census Bureau's latest Annual Business Survey; and
WHEREAS, Not only are Black-and -Brown- owned businesses vital to the communities they serve, but those businesses also bring in an estimated $183.3 billion in gross revenue nationally; and
WHEREAS, It is imperative to safeguard and grow Philadelphia's existing Black-owned businesses through investing and supporting them individually as consumers and collectively as a City; and
WHEREAS, Visit Philadelphia, the tourism marketing organization, is kicking off the holiday season with dedicated marketing efforts to support the economic growth of local, Black- and Brown-owned businesses including updates web pieces on Black and other diverse-owned shops on visitphilly.com, paid social media ads about small, local shops, and dedicated photo/video content featuring small businesses throughout the holiday season; and
WHEREAS, The upcoming holiday season offers a chance to not only boost the local economy, but also strengthen the fabric of Philadelphia's communities by supporting Black- and B...
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