It’s no secret Issa Rae is rooting for everybody Black and things are no different this holiday season. Joining forces with American Express, Issa Rae will be curating the ByBlack Bazaar marketplace on Saturday, Dec. 11 in Downtown Los Angeles. “As a curator at the marketplace, in its simplest form it will be a great place to stop by and get a gift especially if you do not know what to get people because there will be a range of options,” Issa Rae shared exclusively with AfroTech. “It will also be a great way to establish community amongst business owners and allow owners to establish and forge relationships. You will see the family behind the business and you will see directly or hear about the history of these businesses. With online businesses, you don’t get the neighborhood store feel often. So, the Bazaar marketplace really excites me for that.”

Hollywood mogul Issa Rae is always rooting for everybody Black, and today is no different as she pushes for all Black-owned businesses to officially certify their brands through a newly-launched program. According to a press release shared with AfroTech, the producer and actress is supporting American Express and the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.’s (USBC) joint effort to expand their ByBlack initiative with the launch of the “first national certification program exclusively for Black-ownership designation.” Photo Credit: American Express The free first-of-its-kind platform — which was designed as a directory for Black-owned businesses — will now offer Black business-owners the opportunity to easily obtain approved accreditation that their customers and other companies can trust when spending with them. “We are thrilled to team up with the USBC to expand the ByBlack platform,” Jessica Ling — senior vice president of Global B2B Marketing at American Express — tells AfroTech. “Seventy-five...