Business

PRESS ROOM: We’re Producing the First Black Owned Supermarket Carrying All Black Owned Products

THE WESTSIDE GAZETTE —

Published

7 years ago

March 1, 2019

By The Westside Gazette

Two years ago, We Buy Black led a successful crowd-fund raising over $110,000 on Kickstarter, a non-Black owned crowdfunding site. Today, we are crowdfunding for $1.2 Million dollars to produce a Black owned Supermarket on an African American owned Crowdfunding platform, WeFundBlack.com. Created by two brothers in Houston, Tex., We Fund Black launched this Black History Month featuring a major campaign to establish Soul Food Market.

Soul Food Market will be the first African American owned supermarket chain which sells 100% of its products from our community. The selection of naturally grown vegetables and fruits will be sourced from Black farmers in Georgia. New and exciting Black owned products ranging from everyday necessities such as diapers and detergent to all-natural household cleaning products will stock the shelves!

Currently crowdfunding for its flagship store in Atlanta, Ga., Soul Food Market is raising $1.2 million dollars in 30 days to purchase a facility currently under contract for its renovation and operations. Soul Food Market has plans to become an international supermarket chain.

Benefits of our own Grocery Store?

We plan to source our produce from local and neighboring state African American farmers.
Becoming one of the largest distributors for Black owned products.
Hire our youth and those in our community that have a passion for healthy living.
Encourage healthy living and reduce our community’s obesity and other health related issues.
Help redirect the 1 trillion dollars spent outside our community each year, and to establish one of the most essential parts to any community, a grocery store.
Become an institution large enough to help secure a future for our community’s generations to come.

What’s will happen with the money raised?

It’s very important that we prove this model will work. There’ve been many attempts at having a successful Grocery store/supermarket in the Black community, however faced with many obstacles we often close. Even the largest African American owned Supermarket Chain, Calhoun Foods recently closed for a multitude of reasons. Therefore, this is an attempt at something that is still extremely needed in our community, and the We Buy Black movement, along with resourceful professionals and community members will put our best foot forward. Help us bring this to fruition.

We’re Asking Our Supporters for Help!

This initiative is something we all, no matter our location, want to see established in our perspective cities. We have over 560,000 followers, however we are calling on our supporters. If only 10% of our following gave $20, this campaign would be complete. Please, contribute today.

This article originally appeared in The Westside Gazette.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

March 22, 2026

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Advice

Financial Wellness and Mental Health: Managing Money Stress in College 

While everyone’s financial situation is unique, several common sources of stress have the potential to strain your financial health. These include financial and economic uncertainty, existing debts, unexpected expenses, and mental or physical health changes. Financial stress may differ from situation to situation, but understanding the factors contributing to yours may help you begin to craft a plan for your unique circumstances.

Published

3 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sponsored by JPMorganChase

As a college student, managing financial responsibilities can be stressful.

If you’ve found yourself staying up late thinking about your finances or just feeling anxious overall about your financial future, you’re not alone. In one survey, 78% of college students who reported financial stress had negative impacts on their mental health, and 59% considered dropping out. While finances can impact overall stress, taking steps to manage your finances can support your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

When it comes to money, the sources of stress may look different for each student, but identifying the underlying causes and setting goals accordingly may help you feel more confident about your financial future.

Consider these strategies to help improve your financial wellness and reduce stress.

Understand what causes financial stress

2. Determine your financial priorities

Start by reflecting on your financial priorities. For students this often includes paying for school or paying off student loans, studying abroad, saving for spring break, building an emergency fund, paying down credit card debt or buying a car. Name the milestones that are most important to you, and plan accordingly.

3. Create a plan and stick to it

While setting actionable goals starts you on the journey to better financial health, it’s essential to craft a plan to follow through. Identifying and committing to a savings plan may give you a greater sense of control over your finances, which may help reduce your stress. Creating and sticking to a budget allows you to better track where your money is going so you may spend less and save more.

4. Pay down debt

Many students have some form of debt and want to make progress toward reducing their debt obligations. One option is the debt avalanche method, which focuses on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first, then moving on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Another is the debt snowball method, which builds momentum by paying off your smallest debt balance, and then working your way up to the largest amounts.

5. Build your financial resilience

Some financial stress may be inevitable, but building financial resilience may allow you to overcome obstacles more easily. The more you learn about managing your money, for instance, the more prepared you’ll feel if the unexpected happens. Growing your emergency savings also may increase resilience since you’ll be more financially prepared to cover unexpected expenses or pay your living expenses.

6. Seek help and support

Many colleges have resources to help students experiencing financial stress, like financial literacy courses or funds that provide some assistance for students in need. Talk to your admissions counselor or advisor about your concerns, and they can direct you to sources of support. Your school’s counseling center can also be a great resource for mental health assistance if you’re struggling with financial stress.

The bottom line

Financial stress can affect college students’ health and wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to derail your dreams. Setting smart financial goals and developing simple plans to achieve them may help ease your stress. Revisit and adjust your plan as needed to ensure it continues to work for you, and seek additional support on campus as needed to help keep you on track.

 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC