Sean "Diddy" Combs has announced a new partnership with Salesforce. Together, the pair will launch a digital marketplace called Shop Circulate that will offer consumers products created and sold by Black entrepreneurs.
“Building Black wealth starts with investing in Black-owned businesses and giving entrepreneurs access to the consumers needed to build sustainable companies that can thrive,” Combs said in a prepared statement.
“I’m excited to partner with Salesforce to create a platform that will advance our collective pursuit of economic justice.”
Shop Circulate arrives on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. During the 1921 catastrophe, a white mob burned down hundreds of homes and Black businesses. This event greatly impacted Tulsa's Greenwood District, a hub for Black businesses. While the area was built back up by the 1940s, systemic roadblocks prevented many Black business owners in the area from reaching their full potential. With Shop Circulate, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff hopes that this platform can help close an "unjust wealth gap" not only in Tulsa, but across the country.
"[Shop Circulate] will help close the unjust wealth gap that prevents too many Black Americans from achieving economic equality," Beinoff said.
“Shop Circulate will empower us all — as individuals, communities and companies — to support Black-owned businesses, amplify the talent of Black entrepreneurs and move us closer to true equality."
In preparation for the launch, Shop Circulate has merged with The Nile List, a digital forum that puts Black-owned products in front of potential customers. Designed by Deloitte Digital, Diddy's marketplace is set to open up in the fall. For now, the duo is encouraging Black entrepreneurs to reach out and put their products on the Shop Circulate market.
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