BOM YEG dynamically celebrates Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and what better way to celebrate than supporting Black-owned businesses? Black-Owned Market YEG (BOM YEG) held a market on February 5 and 6 to celebrate and support local Black businesses.

BOM YEG is a volunteer collective that aims to highlight and uplift Black-owned businesses in the city. In the past, they have held an annual outdoor market, held pop-ups, and even had an e-market for their specially curated list of Black-owned businesses. To celebrate Black History Month, BOM YEG organized the Black Futures Market at the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) which featured over 15 unique vendors.

Running from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on February 5 and 6, the market began with a land acknowledgement in Cree. After the land acknowledgement, the market hosted Indigenous dance and song performances. Shortly after, Sangea Academy, a local African drum and dance group, gave the market crowd a lively and interactive performance.

Rochelle Ignacio, the managing partner of BOM YEG and this market’s marketing manager, explained that the performances hosted by the market were something that made the Black Futures Market unique from others.

“I think one thing that would stand out being different is we have feature performances,” she said. “Another thing that stands out is that we’re here to serve Black entrepreneurs, so we ask that our vendors self-identify as having [at least] 50 per cent Black ownership in their business.”

The Black Futures Market aimed to have variety in vendors, not just in their wares, but also in their owners’ business experience.

“We try to balance established and emerging vendors,” Ignacio explained. “A lot of our vendors are in their first zero to two years of their business, and the other thing is we try to ensure there’s a wide variety of market mix. We finally got a men’s vendor, we have clothing, jewelry, children’s books — all sorts of things, and we try to make it just a fun family experience for everyone.”

Having the market during Black History Month is an excellent example of how individuals can celebrate Black communities within Edmonton and the province. Like Ignacio said, there was something for everyone, further highlighting how diverse Black businesses can be. The market even had a post-it note wall where attendees could write positive and motivational messages to themselves.

Markets like BOM YEG are important for a variety of reasons, not limited to those restricted to Black History Month. It’s a chance to put the spotlight on Black businesses and change preconceived misconceptions others may have.

“I think that it shifts the narrative that people are telling about the Black community,” Ignacio said. “We’re really celebrating our community, showing our talents, our strengths, and just showing the beauty [of our community,] and exposing people to businesses that they might not otherwise stumble upon.”

“I think that BOM is filling that void, and providing these Black business owners, creatives, entrepreneurs, a platform to get out there, and talk with different Edmontonians from all walks of life.”

The Black Futures Market is an educational experience — one that shines a light on the reality of Black communities and Black culture as a whole.

“I hope that [visitors] find a new business that they want to support — maybe a few,” she said. “I think they’re going to see that they’re going to understand that notion of Black excellence, they’re going to maybe walk away understanding a little bit more about Black culture, and see that there’s so much diversity in what we have to offer.”

“We are celebrating Black History Month, and we want to just look towards the future. While we want to honour the past, we also want to celebrate what people are currently doing and just help them launch their business [and] grow their business so that they’re future entrepreneurs of Edmonton.”

BOM YEG can currently be found on their website, as part of a pop-up in UNITE by TMK in Kingsway Mall, or later in the year at their annual outdoor summer market.