Closing note

Charity starts at home.

Charity starts at home is part of a larger goal: to control our own economy. Strong households, Black-owned businesses, skilled professionals, and community-serving nonprofits all have a part to play.

Start with the household

Food, housing, utilities, health and a little room for surprises come first. A household that is steady can give without strain, and can keep giving for years. Looking after your own is not selfish; it is the foundation everything else rests on.

Read Money Basics

Support local products and services

As circumstances allow, choose local Black-owned businesses for both products and services you already need. That might mean groceries, clothing, or household goods, as well as repairs, childcare, hair care, or bookkeeping. It is not about spending more. It is about supporting the people who make, sell, care, repair, and serve in your community.

Explore professional services

Give what is not money

Knowledge, time and skills count. Explain how you set up your books. Mentor a young person. Introduce two people who should know each other. Show up for a neighbor starting out. Many communities have been held together this way.

Explore business ideas

Include nonprofits serving the community

Nonprofits are part of the local service economy too. Black-led and other community-serving organizations may provide food assistance, youth mentoring, housing support, job training, health programs, and arts education. Support their work by volunteering, sharing your professional skills, giving needed supplies, or donating when your household can afford it. Check the organization and its current needs first.

Explore nonprofit services

Let care travel outward

The old saying describes where care begins, not where it stops. Once home is steady, widen the circle to your block, your congregation, local nonprofits, your local chamber and the people nearby who are doing the work.

Find business chambers

Begin where you are.

Pick one small thing this week. Steady your own footing, buy a needed product or hire a service close to home, or share one thing you know. Then do it again. Thank you for reading Blackonomics.