To close out Black History Month, the NAACP chapter at the University of Mississippi held Buy the Block last Thursday, Feb. 29, giving Black business owners an opportunity to promote their goods and services.
Buy the Block is an annual small Black business expo hosted by the UM’s NAACP chapter during Black History Month. The organization invites any Black business owner, regardless of age, to share their talents with the community, promote their businesses and inspire people of color.
“This event actually started during my freshman year when I was a community service chair with the NAACP. It’s really nice to see how much it has grown within the past three years,” Meghan Curry, NAACP president and junior public health and health sciences major, said.
Over the last three years, Buy the Block has become a staple event for the NAACP, and members look forward to providing a platform for Black business owners.
“Buy the Block is super special because it’s a part of NAACP Week and because we get to support Black businesses, and a lot of the time, it kind of goes unnoticed or unseen,” Azurrea Curry, a senior English education major said. “So, being able to put that out there and have people come is really cool.”
Tricia Gipson is the owner and operator of Blessed Hands Salon in Oxford and participated in this year’s event.
“I’ve always wanted to do hair. I’ve been doing hair since I was a cheerleader in high school,” Gipson said. “It means a lot because at my age, I’m only 47, I’ve been in business studies. So, it means a lot, and I feel like I’m an outstanding person for the community, the kind people look up to. If I can do it, anybody could do it.”
T’yanna Hudgins, owner of Cheese Tasty Treats, also had a table at the expo. She took the special memories she made with her mother and transformed it into her culinary business.
“As I was growing up, I had many Easy-Bake Ovens. And once I turned 15, my mom and I got in the kitchen and started creating different types of treats that turned out really good,” Hudgins said. “So once I moved to Oxford, I planned to keep that going, and now it’s a prospering Black business. I do food catering, treats and cakes, and I’m a proud Black business owner.”
This year’s Buy the Block gave new businesses the chance to promote themselves and develop a clientele.
“I started in 2023, and it is becoming a major thing for me. I was a business owner in Austin actually, and I just moved down to Oxford in January,” Jaivian Huges, owner of Hella Full, said. “I’m trying to, you know, open up and get more connections. I started my culinary career back when I was in 10th grade, and it was based on my great grandmother. I loved the passion she had for cooking, so I continued her legacy.”
Genesis Morozova started her business, The Glam Lab, in Orlando, Fla., but then she moved to Oxford. Morozova’s business not only teaches Black women about their skin and makeup, but also highlights how the beauty market should do more to cater to people of color..
“I’ve always been passionate about doing makeup since I was a little girl. But I also felt like what was missing from that type of business was that no one was teaching,” Morozova said. “And so my business isn’t just doing makeup, but we also teach girls how to do their own. We teach them which products and how to use the products and what brushes work best for us, but also where we can find makeup that works good for Black and dark-skinned girls, because it’s a hard market to get into.”
Since moving her business to Oxford, Morozova has come to appreciate how the Oxford community bands together.
“The best thing about being a Black business owner in Oxford is the close-knit community,” Morozova said. “And there’s always amazing opportunities to showcase and get new clients. I mean, I love it.”
Curry reiterated the importance of Buy the Block and how promoting Black businesses benefits the economy as a whole.
“Buy the Block is just a really nice time to engage with the community and meet students that you wouldn’t have interacted with otherwise,” she said.