"In the summer of 2020, I started a directory of Black-owned businesses in Maine. I was looking for a way to support the Black community for people who couldn't attend protests. I also wanted to make a longer-term economic impact. It immediately took off. These were my neighbors and local businesses that I just hadn't heard about. That's the thing: People joke about Maine being the whitest state, but there are actually plenty of Black-owned businesses here."
"The directory took off like a rocket ship. Black Owned Maine now has four employees, including me, and an annual operating budget of about $250,000. In addition to the directory, we host events and business advising to support Black Business owners. As of late 2025, we had 423 businesses on the list, including a gym, beauty salons, restaurants, translation services, and more. About half of them were owned by immigrants."
Rose Barboza founded Black Owned Maine in 2020 to create a directory of Black-owned businesses in Maine and provide long-term economic support. The directory quickly grew, reaching 423 businesses by late 2025 and supporting a range of services; about half of listed businesses are immigrant-owned. The organization expanded to four employees with roughly $250,000 annual operating budget, offering events and business advising in addition to listings. Barboza feared the list could be used to target businesses after rumors and then ICE activity in Maine. She temporarily took the website down to protect businesses, while hoping to restore it safely in the future.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]