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9 Companies Support Black Lives Matter That You Should Know

As protests continue nationwide following the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Andres Guardado, some companies are developing innovative ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Here are the top four companies that are doing the most to help promote racial equality and some honorable mentions. We’ve also got some tips to help you get involved in the movement.

Sephora

If you’re an aspiring makeup artist or a fan of makeup in general, you’ve likely shopped at Sephora. It's one of the biggest companies in the game. The makeup company announced changes to its Insider Rewards Program, which allows customers to cash in points for various prizes. Now, instead of using points on makeup products, shoppers can submit points for donations to the National Black Justice Coalition. It's an organization that aims to benefit Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. With the new program, 500 Sephora points will equal a $10 donation, 1,000 points will equal $20 and 1,500 will equate to $30. You can check out all the details on the Sephora rewards webpage.

TOMS

This shoewear brand has been known for years for its philanthropy efforts. The brand has a one-for-one initiative, which donates a pair of free shoes to various children in countries worldwide with every retail sale. Amid the protests, the brand announced that it would donate $100,000 to organizations that are fighting racial injustice. TOMS also released the Instagram handles for several notable leaders, activists, and organizations at the forefront of the movement, another initiative meant to educate consumers.

SHEIN

This international fast-fashion brand announced that it would donate at least $200,000 to organizations supporting the movement. Some of these organizations include the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund through the newly established SHEIN Together Fund. SHEIN is also working on a line called SHEIN Together t-shirts, whereby 100% of all funds will go to various Black-led organizations. The company also added a link to resources for consumers to educate themselves on racial inequality which includes a link to a New York Times list of anti-racist books. On their Instagram account, they’ve also posted a list of additional organizations to donate to and help.

Gap Inc.

Gap Inc., the owner of various fashion brands including Athleta, Old Navy and Banana Republic announced that it would be donating $300,000 donation to EmbraceRace and the NAACP, two organizations that aim to topple systematic racism. The company also announced a renewed sponsorship with Harlem’s Fashion Row, an organization that aims to assist emerging designers of color and connect them with brands. The company will also donate an additional $25,000 to the Icon 360 Program, a newly established company initiative to specifically benefit designers of color who have been affected by COVID-19.

Other Notable Mentions

Warby Parker, the eyewear brand commonly known for its charitable initiatives, including its program which donates a pair of glasses with every pair purchased, announced that it would donate $1 million to organizations aiming to combat racism.

Peloton, the popular fitness company is known for it’s at home cycling equipment and programs will donate $500,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Lululemon initially announced it would donate $100,000 to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. But they ended up donating at least $250,000 to several black-led organizations including Reclaim the Block, a Minneapolis based organization that aims to reinvest money from the police department into promoting safety and community health.

Coca-Cola announced it would be donating to 100 Black Men, an African American-led mentoring organization.

Amazon is donating a combined $10 million to 11 organizations. This includes the ACLU Foundation, Brennan Center for Justice, and National Museum of African American History and Culture

How You Can Get Involved

 The best thing to do is to go out and protest. However, if you feel uncomfortable, there are tons of ways to show your support without venturing out.

Donate

You can definitely donate to Black Lives Matter! But, also consider some of the lesser-known funds supporting the community and resolving other related issues. Consider donating to the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization that aims to give legal assistance and representation to those wrongly convicted or incarcerated.

You can also donate to mutual aid funds that help address homelessness and provide assistance to those struggling. Many major cities, including Los Angeles, have set up these programs. New York Magazine has an excellent list of some active funds.

Support Black-owned Business

If you want to support the community, you can also start by supporting black-owned businesses. In addition, many of them have been hurt economically as a result of the pandemic. Both  VICE and Bon Appetit have created and compiled lists and spreadsheets of black-owned restaurants in dozens of cities to check out.

Support Bail Funds

If you feel uncomfortable venturing out, you can support bail funds. Bail funds aim to raise money to free those incarcerated amid the protests. It's a great way to show your support for the movement. Some of the most popular funds include the Minnesota Freedom Fund, but there are also tons of smaller organizations that need help.

The Community Justice Exchange has a list of bail funds by states. You can easily browse and connect at your own convenience. Money might be tight these days thanks to the current economic downturn. But, keep in mind that even a few dollars add up. There are also special bail funds devoted to specific groups and communities affected, including the LGBTQ community. You might want to consider splitting donations between groups in order to help more organizations.

Educate

Learning about the issues facing the black community is one of the best ways you can get involved. Hundreds of websites including TIME, Distractify, and Refinery29 have compiled lists of movies, documentaries, and books about racism. You can even learn a lot from a quick Google Search.

With these tips, there are tons of options to choose from to support the movement without breaking the bank along the way.

Resources:

https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a32722895/businesses-supporting-black-lives-matter/

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/want-know-where-all-those-corporate-donations-blm-are-going-n1225371

https://time.com/5849721/how-to-help-black-lives-matter-protests/

https://www.distractify.com/p/books-to-educate-yourself-blm

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/06/9848927/black-lives-matter-books

https://time.com/5846732/books-to-read-about-anti-racism/

https://time.com/5847912/movies-to-watch-about-racism-protests/

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Worst Habits When Spending Money

Nobody’s perfect and life can be hard, but all cliches aside, in order to make life a bit easier and more perfect you should start looking to get your money in order. If getting your personal spending under control bewilders you, start by concentrating on these areas to get you on the right track.

Not tracking spending

The best place to start is tracking spending. It’s a good idea to track everything. You don’t have to go at it alone. Download a personal finance app like Level Money or Mint that tracks your spending and crafts budgets for you. The app market is full of apps to help you tackle tracking spending.

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Not working within a budget

In the short run, it may not seem that a few Chipotle burritos and frappuccinos will hurt your wallet. Over time, those expenses add up and can strain your resources. Take some time at the beginning of each month to create a budget that accounts for your invariable expenses such as bills and transportation then factor in the nonessentials and impulse purchases. If you can't live without the burrito or frappuccino, make a budget for those items!

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Buying things you don’t want or need

Impulse purchases can seriously get in the way of you building a secure financial future of your making. Before you buy something nonessential, ask yourself important questions like:

-Is this straining my budget?

-Will I use it a lot, or will I use it once to take a cool Instagram photo and then forget about it?

Brown shopping bags

In order to master the art of spending money efficiently, you have to know yourself. Know what is important to you and what you can live without. Figure out when your impulse control is weak and when it is strong. Know yourself and keep your eye on the prize because at the end of the day having a handle on your money is anything but cliche.

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Vola Finance can advance you up to $300 at NO INTEREST. Vola Finance can make sure your bank balance does not get too low and alert you before it does so that you don’t pay overdraft or NSF fees. Furthermore, Vola Finance breaks down your spending pattern to help you budget your upcoming expenses and find ways for you to save.

Vola supports over 6000 banks and credit unions and uses one of the nation’s largest bank connection providers to securely establish a link to your account.

Vola is transparent. There are NO HIDDEN FEES Vola operates by charging a subscription fee, there are no other charges. If the features offered by Vola are not compatible with your bank or phone, Vola Finance will refund you your subscription fee.

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