SEATTLE, Wash. — A local mom is on a mission to change your spending habits. Her name is Amanda Williams and she’s created a website that’s quickly taken off.
It’s called ‘Seattle Green Book.’ It’s an online directory that’s giving a platform to Black-owned businesses while encouraging people to support local.
“I’m not a web designer, but I was an elementary school teacher, and we know how to wear many hats,” she told KIRO 7.
The name is a historical nod to the Jim Crow era where the book served as a necessary guide.
“A green book is a traveler’s guide that helped African Americans travel through the United States in a way that would keep them safe, because at the time, landing in the wrong place at the wrong time could get them killed,” she said.
Williams’ version is about supporting and creating a community with an online directory of Black-owned businesses in the greater Seattle area.
“I really want people to just expand the idea of what it looks like to support a Black-owned business,” she told KIRO 7. “It was partially about community for me, just making a list of cool places to check out and all the things you do when you move from a different state.”
Williams launched the website in 2019, outlining 100 businesses. It’s since grown to over 500.
She wants to emphasize that supporting Black businesses doesn’t have to be rooted in consumption.
“It’s not just about meeting up for drinks at your favorite Black-owned restaurant. It can also be having your house painted by a Black-owned business,” she said. “Or when I moved and I bought a house, my real estate agent was from. It was a Black real estate agent; the carpets were cleaned by a Black-owned carpet cleaning business.”
The site’s purpose is to amplify these businesses and be a tool for intention.
“I really hope that people just slow down before they purchase anything,” she said. “Slow down before they consume, and think about they can support the community with their dollar.”
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