Looking to spend local? Here are 11 Black-owned businesses in Phoenix you can support

The population growth in the Valley has seen nearly 800,000 people move to cities like Phoenix and others in Maricopa County, including 70,000 Black residents who have moved between 2010 and 2020.  With people also comes commerce and entrepreneurs seeking to establish businesses.  The State of Black Arizona and Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) published their third State of Black Business Report surveying the growth of the Black business community. This study has been conducted annually since 2021. Approximately 1,200 Black-owned businesses around Arizona have been identified, most of which can be found using a database created by the community organization Blax Friday.  What is a Black-owned business? Though at face value, the term can be self-explanatory, Black-owned means owned by an individual or group of Black or African American individuals. However, terms like Black-founded can add a layer of complexity to understanding what it means to support Black businesses. The Federal Government has guidelines provided by the Small Business Administration that facilitate the participation of Minority-Owned Businesses in bidding for government contracts. The key qualifier being that at least 51 percent of the business is owned by one or more individuals who identify as ethnic minorities. The Pew Research...