• by Larissa Faw , August 24, 2020

Arnold + Havas Media Boston are celebrating Black Business Month (August) through a project aimed at elevating the visibility of Black-owned businesses.

“This Month In Boston: The Black Owned Edition” serves as a digital guide featuring an interactive directory of Black owned businesses, organizations and artists by category (food & drink, retail & services, art & creativity, music, health & wellness, and community), alongside editorial content from notable Boston organizations and individuals. 

COVID-19 and the current racial climate helped to spark this digital effort. For the past three years, the agency network has released TMIB as a print guide to celebrate all things food, drink, music and culture in Boston as a way to support its home city, while occasionally focusing on a societal issue, such as voting and gun violence.

Then, in April, after the integration of the leadership team across Arnold and Havas Media Boston, the agencies jointly took the print publication digital so that it could be accessed while people were in quarantine, and by a broader audience than people in Boston. The goal in April was to create an issue to support small/local businesses during COVID. However, in the aftermath of George Floyd and the protests, agency employees felt it would be worthwhile to turn its spotlight back to Black voices.

In addition to this digital TMIB, a partnership with Black Owned Bos. a community resource site and Instagram page, will showcase an even-more extensive list of Boston’s Black owned businesses.