Per the last census, the population of Black members of Kern County sat at just over 6%, and according to the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce, about 8% of business owners in Bakersfield are Black. For years, the Bakersfield Black Dollar Initiative has been working to magnify the voices and presence of Black business owners in Bakersfield and beyond. 23ABC's Sam Hoyle spoke with one local business owner to learn more about how important the BBDI is to the city.
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00:00 August is National Black Business Month and this weekend the Bakersfield Black
00:03 Dollar Initiative is holding events to magnify the voices and presence of black
00:07 businesses in the area and beyond. 23 ABC's Sam Hoyle takes a closer look. As
00:14 of the last census, population of black members of Kern County sat just over 6%
00:19 and according to the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce, the number of black
00:23 business owners sits about 8% of all business owners in Bakersfield.
00:29 For years the Bakersfield Black Dollar Initiative has been working to magnify
00:34 the voices and presence of black business owners in Bakersfield and
00:38 beyond. They give people hope and you know let them know that it is someone
00:42 behind them and helping them and trying to see them do better and strive to have
00:47 more and be economically sound and just help them to develop they self and
00:57 basically keep hope alive. This weekend the BBDI will hold its third shop small
01:02 shop black marketplace and its first black farmers market. For Nick Hill,
01:06 president and CEO of the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce, events like
01:10 this are imperative to magnifying black voices. Not only do we need to increase
01:15 the awareness for the black businesses but we also need to increase the
01:20 awareness to the general public you know because it's one thing to have
01:24 african-american entrepreneurs but it's also important for the rest of our city
01:30 to understand the importance of doing business with the african-american
01:34 entrepreneur. James Somerville owner of trendsetters barber and beauty salon
01:38 joined the nonprofit directory in 2020 and said as more black businesses make
01:42 their way into the Bakersfield market it can only go up. It helps the community to
01:48 strive and and develop and keep the kids off the street and give them give them
01:56 a you know possibility of hope and you know and that's what I'm trying to do is
02:01 trying to give jobs and keep businesses going to keep the community together. In
02:09 Bakersfield Sam Hoyle 23 ABC News connecting you.