Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, we are honored to feature selections from Procure Impact’s Black Owned & Empowered collection. Procure Impact is a first-of-its-kind B2B marketplace that makes it easy for companies to achieve their social impact goals through their every-day purchases – and create job opportunities and economic mobility for our most vulnerable populations in the process. In October 2024, The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the largest hotel association in the United States, and Procure Impact, announced a major milestone in the implementation of their Dignity of Work Pledge.

Twenty-three hospitality companies have pledged over $7.4 million in purchases to reach the Dignity of Work Pledge goal of 100,000 hours of paid employment for people who face barriers to work. By choosing to source responsibly through Procure Impact, the companies will provide millions in revenue for businesses employing vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Mickey’s Popcorn, Black-Owned

Mickey’s popcorn was founded in 2020 by husband-and-wife team, Kenny and Penny Mickey. Kenny Mickey is the “master crafter” with a background in food advanced manufacturing and logistics working for global brands such as Cargill and FedEx. Dr. Penny Mickey has worked in executive leadership roles in higher education and government and designs work-based learning programs for the social enterprise. The duo is made up of former college basketball players who transferred their zeal from the court to crafting small batch gourmet popcorn.

Mickey’s Popcorn strives to create economic mobility among historically hard-to-serve populations that are close to the husband-and-wife duo’s hearts. The company, in collaboration with the non-profit organization, The Gradus Project, provides paid short-term job placements to help build employability skills, especially among disadvantaged youth and domestic violence survivors. Graduates of this work program are then assisted in their transition to more permanent work. Our connected packaging campaign where our products include a QR code that amplifies the intangibles of our brand – a commitment to providing tasty treats while uplifting the local community and supporting domestic violence awareness. We craft small batch gourmet popcorn with flavors inspired by geographic regions and top shelf spirits.

Art Lifting, Empowers Black Artists

ArtLifting is a full-service art consultancy championing artists impacted by housing insecurity and disabilities by connecting their art with socially conscious businesses and customers.

Co-founder and CEO Liz Powers worked as a social worker running art groups in Boston and discovered quality art produced in shelters and disability centers were being thrown away or left to collect dust. Liz often heard from participants, “We want an opportunity, not a handout,” but the contemporary art market is not accessible to everyone. She started ArtLifting as a means for these artists to share their talents and earn income from their work.

Through innovative partnerships with over 415 corporate clients, ArtLifting creates access for underrepresented artists to share their talents and stories with the world while earning an income from art sales and royalties. Artists earn 55% of profits. An additional 1% provides art supplies to individual artists and nonprofits serving communities impacted by housing insecurity and disabilities.

Liz explains: “When I realized that there was no company similar, I knew that ArtLifting had to be founded. The infrastructure (art programs in shelters and disability centers) was already in place, and the artists were already creating art. The only thing missing was a marketplace for this art. ArtLifting gives these artists a platform to sell their artwork. My goal is to make their invisible talents visible and by doing so, change stereotypes. Instead of defining people by their circumstance, we should define them by their talent.”

My Cup of Tea, Empowers Black Women in Poverty

My Cup of Tea is a non-profit, social enterprise located in the heart of Orange Mound, considered the oldest African American community in America. We import the highest quality tea from tea estates and gardens in the Far East to The House at Orange Mound, where it is weighed, re-formatted, and packaged for sale by women who impact the historic neighborhood.

At My Cup of Tea, our mission isn’t just to provide women in our community with livable wage employment; our goal is to provide them with the tools they need to thrive financially, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually so they can positively impact the community. We provide soft skills and financial literacy training, voluntary Bible studies, and a daily hearty lunch. And each woman is carefully matched with a mentor to support her along the way.

Gardening is a part of what we do, because it helps alleviate food insecurity and provides fresh produce that is hard to come by in the neighborhood. Our gardens are the location of many heartfelt conversations and moments of deeper understanding between women of different races, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds.

When an individual becomes part of our family, she has a chance to learn a number of valuable skills, like cooking, sewing, gardening that play a vital role in her ability to become more self-sufficient. For those who come to us with marketable skills or aptitudes, we funnel those abilities into micro enterprises to provide additional income for the women.