Brittany Howard, 2 Chainz And More Set For Virtual ‘Small Business’ Fest
20 June’s ‘Small Business Live’ will support Black-owned businesses around the US.
Brittany Howard, Nathaniel Rateliff, 2 Chainz, Leon Bridges, T-Pain and Brandi Carlile are among the confirmed acts for Small Business Live, a virtual music festival benefitting Black-owned businesses. The live-streamed event will take place on 20 June, beginning at 4:00 pm EST.
Organised by Superfly (the agency behind festivals like Bonnaroo and Outside Lands), Small Business Live will be available to view for free on TikTok, as well on a variety of other platforms, including YouTube, Instagram and Twitch. All donations will go to Accion Opportunity Fund, which supports Black and minority-owned small businesses, as well as those owned by immigrants and women.
In an official statement, Accion Opportunity Fund’s CEO Luz Urrutia said, “Entrepreneurs of colour are denied credit more often and charged higher rates for money they borrow to fund their businesses. We need to accelerate support to underserved businesses in order to reach our full potential.”
Urrutia continued, “We have to decide what we want our Main Streets to look like when this is over, and we must act decisively to keep small businesses alive and ready to rebuild. This is a fun way to do something really important. Everyone’s support will make a huge difference to small business owners, their families and employees who have been devastated by this pandemic, the recession, and centuries of racism, xenophobia and oppression.”
Rich Goodstone, co-founder of Superfly, added, “Three-and-a-half million small businesses are currently at risk of permanent closure due to COVID-19, with a disproportionate number of them being minority-owned. We look forward to raising the profile of this issue by showcasing amazing music performances and the stories of small businesses across America that urgently need our support.”
In addition to the artists listed above, the growing line-up also includes Moon Taxi, Jufu, Allen Stone and Bam Marley.
To watch Small Biz Live, visit the official website.
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