MAINE, USA — August is Black Business Month. It's a time to highlight the contributions of Black-owned businesses across the nation.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Black Mainers make up just more than 1.5 percent of the state's total population and own more than 600 businesses.
Black-owned businesses across Maine say it's their passion and support from their communities that motivate them.
What started as simple a passion in his home country turned into Strait Jamaican Cuisine for Clayton Whyte, a catering and take-out business that serves authentic Jamaican food.
"I used to do fried chicken on the streets in Jamaica just to make ends meet," Whyte said.
Now Whyte, along with his co-owner Jamie Pomerleau, are sharing these dishes with the Waterville community and beyond.
"Accepting us [and] our cuisine means the world to me," Whyte said.
It’s a similar passion that drove personal trainer Skye Washington to open her own boutique gym called Skyefitness.
"That’s what kept me motivated in seeing other people become motivated and change their life, not just physically but mentally, that's what keeps me going," Washington said.
She takes pride in being a Black-owned business in downtown Bangor.
"To be able to be a Black face in a community where there aren't a lot of other Black faces, people may see me and aspire to open up their own business," Washington said.
And for activist and host of the podcast Maine’s Black Future, Genius Black makes it his mission to connect the history of Black influence in Maine to Black influence now.
"Black history isn’t way back there. It's attached to my back physically. When I walk forward, right behind me, my previous steps in fact are Black history," Black said. "The point of the podcast is to connect the nail to the Black history."
He said Black Business Month "encourages [people] to tell [their] stories, to listen to other people's stories, to reset [their] energy, to recognize that [they] are seen, not forgotten."
The nonprofit organization Black Owned Maine is empowering Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs across Maine.
"We wanted to create a space, a tangible space, that people could actually use to support the Black community, and landed on supporting the Black business community," Rose Barboza, founder of Black Owned Maine, said.
Their online directory connects the community to Black entrepreneurs in the state, and now they are also providing resources and tools to help Black-owned businesses thrive.
"It's beautiful, honestly. It's really beautiful to be in a space and to be in a state where people are open to this, they're accepting, we're starting to move past this erasure," Barboza said.
It’s the passion and advocacy of these leaders that continue to pave the way for other aspiring Black entrepreneurs.
"Support is important whether that be spiritual, religious support, whether it be something like a Black Owned Maine or whether it be the Maine's Black Future podcast, or grants that pay attention to Black or Wabanaki people knowing that they're underserved even in the state of Maine," Black said.
According to the Department of Small and Local Business Development, you can support Black-owned businesses by buying from a Black-owned business, engaging in community events, and sharing on social media.