H&M Americas is aiming to empower Black women business owners in a substantial way.
The global fashion and home retailer partnered with non-profit Buy From A Black Woman (BFABW) for the fourth annual Inspire Tour, a multi-city pop-up shopping event that features products from Black women-owned businesses in H&M stores across the country – The theme? ‘Black Women Are Still Here.’
“When you support a Black Woman Business Owner, you support a whole community. Since our partnership with H&M began in 2021, we have transformed communities and created more opportunities for Black Women’s Businesses through initiatives like the Buy From A Black Woman Inspire Tour,” says Nikki Porcher, Founder of Buy From A Black Woman in a statement. “Which is why it’s disappointing to see what’s happening with programs being defunded and cut. Buy From A Black Woman and H&M are still working together to ensure that Black Women Business Owners are seen, heard and supported. Because Black Women are still here.”
The tour will kick off in New Orleans, LA and ends in Toronto, ON with stops in Chicago, IL, Tulsa, OK, Washington D.C., and Macon, GA.
Along with the tour, H&M Americas also sponsors BFABW Black Woman Accelerator, a grant program to help founders become certified as minority-owned businesses and participate in the Inspire Tour.
“H&M is proud to continue our partnership with Buy From A Black Woman and introduce the Inspire Tour into the Canadian market, deepening our commitment to promoting economic inclusion for Black women entrepreneurs,” says Donna Dozier Gordon, Head of Inclusion & Diversity, H&M Americas. “At a time when corporate inclusion and diversity initiatives are under scrutiny or being abandoned altogether, H&M is committed to reinforcing our efforts, as we maintain the belief that I&D is a critical cornerstone for the success of our business.”