While it’s possible there has been a large influx of minority-owned businesses opening in the last 4 years, the more likely reality is that white people still run the majority of workplaces in the U.S.

Which leads us to the responsibility of these businesses at a time like this.

The country is reeling from the brutal murders of Black Americans at the hands of police– most recently, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and George Floyd.

And meanwhile we’re celebrating the successes of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country and the world, from Minneapolis disbanding their police department, to New York banning the state law that keeps officers’ disciplinary records secret, to the Miami police banning the chokehold.

So what is the role of white (or non-Black) business owners in light of these changes and this movement? To make a donation? A statement? Does a statement even do anything? How can you stay “on brand” if your business has nothing to do with politics or police?

In the past few weeks, you may have read the phrase “It is not enough to not be racist. You must be anti-racist.”

That’s because racism isn’t just “good ole boys” with confederate flags on their trucks or restaurants overtly seating Black couples and families away from the windows.

Racism runs rampant in American society, culture, and structure — from our education system to our justice system.

It affects the way BIPOC (Black/indigenous/people of color) shop, travel, eat, study, and just live their daily lives.

But there’s been some hesitance on the part of small companies and brands to show their solidarity for current protests or accept their responsibility to speak out.

I’ve been surprised and disappointed to see many small businesses and Instagram influencers on my timeline posting as if life were going on as normal (or, at least, coronavirus normal).

Of course it’s not fair to generalize — there have also been amazing small companies from around the country using their position to uplift Black voices and anti-racism efforts.

But on the whole, it seems that big businesses have been better about acknowledging the protests and the issues that sparked them … at least, on the surface.

But as this Atlantic article points out, “Instead of taking concrete actions, many companies interpret consumers’ push for social responsibility as a strong desire for them to make vague statements about even vaguer values, such as ‘equality’ and ‘community,’ when something racist dominates the news.”

And obviously, the Internet was quick to turn to satire.