Resource Roundup: Wallet Activism

The first big holiday of the season is officially complete. I’m sure by now your inboxes are being flooded with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Travel Tuesday deals (mine are!).

"Wallet activism" is a frequently overlooked aspect of allyship and activism. Simply put, wallet activism is a way to demonstrate your values for different marginalized or historically oppressed groups by supporting their businesses, many of which are often small businesses. The Racial Wealth Gap is a term used to describe the glaring discrepancy in wealth between White households and Black households.

Currently, an average White household has 10 times more wealth than Black households. The gap only continues to grow, with White households growing by more than $1 million between 1983 to 2022. The development of this gap is due to systemic racism and numerous systemic barriers that continue to impede wealth development among the Black community and other historically marginalized groups.

These aren’t businesses you’ll often see highlighted by big retailers like Target, Amazon, Walmart, etc. Rather, these businesses are shared through social media, word-of-mouth, and referrals. They are neighbors, friends, and community members that we interact with every day. One of the most effective ways you can support progress towards narrowing the Wealth Gap is by directly purchasing from and supporting these businesses.

Over the years, I’ve heard many allies express a desire to demonstrate their allyship and solidarity with marginalized groups, but they aren’t sure how or where to put their spending power to work. I’m here to help!

Below are a few of my favorite ways to find businesses that support my gift-giving needs:

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