Our guide showcases Black makers and designers from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond. We put out the call to Black crafters and artisans, whereby the heavily curated selection process began.  Our book is a love letter to Black imagination and talent.  There is something for everyone on the holiday shopping list.  We made the season’s holiday shopping easy, making you the superstar behind that unique gift selection.

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We wanted to do our part to put Black talent in the consumer goods realm center stage for all consumers and take advantage of the “for us by us” trend of Black-owned brands profoundly impacting the African American path to purchase and consumer marketplace. Black consumers support brands that align with their lifestyles and values.  In addition, we wanted to do our part to support the 15% Pledge, an initiative by Aurora James, founder of Brother Vellies, to get national brands committed to allocating 15% of their budgets to buy Black-owned brands. 

GIFTED and Black is an initiative created and supported by the NYUL Small Business SOLUTIONS Center to ignite Black entrepreneurship.