This Instagram post could unlock hundreds of millions of dollars for Black-owned businesses

This Instagram post could unlock hundreds of millions of dollars for Black-owned businesses

In the days following the death of George Floyd, Brooklyn-based entrepreneur Aurora James was skeptical of the deluge of corporate support for the Black community."As a Black woman, and also as a business owner, I was reading it, but I wasn't necessarily feeling it to be true," said James, who runs Brother Vellies, a company that sources handmade shoes and accessories from artisans around the world. She wanted to create a metric for companies that would show how they were following through on their statements of support.In a handwritten note posted to her personal Instagram page, James made a simple ask to retailers: Commit to having 15% of suppliers be Black-owned businesses. "So many of your businesses are built on Black spending power," she said. "So many of your stores are set