The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) and the Seattle Medium Newspaper Group have collaborated to promote local businesses and help drive customers and cash flow into our local economy by launching the COVID-19 25 Alive Campaign, a campaign designed to increase awareness and encourage our local community to support local businesses on a regular, ongoing basis.
Through the 25 Alive Campaign, The Seattle Medium, ULMS and other community partners will encourage members of our community to spend at least $25 per week with community-based businesses.
According to Chris B. Bennett, Publisher and Editor of The Seattle Medium, the ultimate goal is to provide a much-needed economic boost to not only help these businesses survive but to thrive during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many businesses are open, but under the current COVID-19 restrictions they are struggling to make ends meet,” says Bennett. “Without customers and cash flow we can start adding them to the COVID-19 list of casualties right now – which is the last thing that we want to do.”
“African Americans are consumers and are key components when it comes to driving both the local and national economy,” added Bennett. “It’s time to turn our money into seeds that with blossom into a fruitful harvest for our local businesses, and we can do it by frequently supporting their businesses with intent and purpose.”
Debrena Jackson-Gandy, a third-generation entrepreneur and founder and CEO of the Elevate Movement and the Elevate Direct Impact Dollars Black Business Empowerment Initiative, believes that the timing and nature of the campaign is vitally important as many businesses continue to navigate their way through economic impacts of the pandemic.
“This [campaign] is critical and essential,” says Jackson-Gandy. “A partnership such as this is ideal because it combines a community-based media outlet that can provide promotional support both in the printed form as well as radio airtime, along with the advocacy and access to technical resources that the Urban League can provide.”
Businesses throughout the region are recognizing the need for such a campaign as it helps them to reach more customers under these unusual circumstances.
Theo Martin, owner of the Island Soul Restaurant in Columbia City, has had to adapt his services to accommodate his patrons by following new health regulations while continuing to give the best and convenient customer service under the present circumstances. Due to COVID-19 and the lockdown, awareness and information about businesses being open were hampered and businesses are now suffering because of this.
“People never knew we were open,” says Martin. “COVID’s been going on for months and although we remained opened for delivery, people thought we were closed. We need a lot more awareness of what we are doing, because we’ve been blessed to still be open and still serving.”
“So as a business owner if the 25 Alive campaign can help promote and let my community know that we still have the oxtails, collard greens and mac and cheese.. bring ‘em on and thank you,” adds Martin with a laugh. “Let the community know that we are still open and you can come and dine outside with our outside dining or take out. But yes, with this 25 Alive campaign we as businesses can definitely use the help.”
As our community and the world is being tested, doing business must remain intact while the world navigates this adversity. Through the COVID-19 25 Alive Campaign businesses and consumers can continue to support one another in order to maintain an economically sound community.
New startups like AllTrus Cleaning Service, a post construction and commercial sites, hazardous material and health cleaning company owned by two African American women, understand the importance of this type of collaboration and how it can impact both the community and businesses.
“It is very important to circulate our dollars within our community,” says Darci Henderson, co-owner of AllTrus Cleaning Service. “This not only helps other businesses but it helps us. What we have to do is continue to build other businesses up if we want to see ours lifted up as well.”
Denise Ransom, co-owner of AllTrus, agrees and says that this campaign is very important to our community if our businesses are going to remain relevant and survive.
“I think it’s even more important now due to the pandemic,” says Ransom. “You can’t get out here and network like we used to and build businesses in the traditional way. So, I think now more than ever getting that extra support from the community is literally life or death to businesses right now.”
Financial hardships created by COVID-19 has crippled many businesses. With business owners having to make difficult decisions with more frequency, basic business necessities like advertising and promotions for many have went from the to-do list to the wish list. The 25 Alive Campaign presents itself as a viable opportunity for businesses to get the word out and promote themselves.
Businesses such as Flyright Productions, a photographic and video production company owned by Keith Williams, sees a great opportunity in the campaign for those who may find themselves unable to adequately promote their business.
“This is an excellent opportunity for businesses to engage and participate in,” says Williams. “And it’s very important that the mindset of the community is to support each other right now, we definitely need to come together and support each other by any means necessary.”
The 25 Alive Campaign kicks off this week, and organizers are optimistic that the community will come together and rally around the small businesses in our community.
“We are truly blessed to have partners like the Urban League, who are here to genuinely support the community whenever they can,” says Bennett.
“These are not charity cases, these are businesses that need our support,” continued Bennett. “We have an opportunity to show that we can take care of our own. The time is now and we have to seize the moment.”
View the list of businesses participating in the 25 alive campaign by clicking here.
