Learn how Ticker is helping to track Black spending with Black-owned businesses, promoting economic empowerment and community support.
Dr. Charles Walker started a company called Friends of the Movement Global to help Black communities and promote economic empowerment. He created the Black Wall Street Ticker to track and report spending, giving, and investing activities that support Black businesses. The ticker is displayed at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship and on FotM Global’s website. It aims to unite Black and allied communities to close the wealth gap and celebrate businesses that support the movement. The ticker can be integrated into websites and apps, showing real-time data on economic activities. Media companies can partner with the initiative to display the ticker and promote Black businesses. Over 4,550 businesses are using the ticker, with half located in Atlanta. Merchants can register to be part of the ticker to increase visibility and revenue. Visit FotMglobal.com for more information.
Dr. Charles Walker, CEO of Friends of the Movement Global, started a social data analytics company dedicated to building a conscious economy, empowering consumers to vote with their wallets, and supporting merchants that align with their values.
Photos credit: Jazmine Brimmer
“Our goal is to promote economic empowerment and social justice within Black communities. The inspiration came in 2020, following the tragic death of George Floyd. I wanted to address the systemic racism and economic inequality that has plagued our communities for so long,” the social advocate explained.
Dr. Walker also said that he noticed that 80% percent of the protesters were non-Black, young and global. Thereafter, he felt inspired to create the movement.
“The idea was to create a platform that unites Black consumers and ally businesses, amplifying their combined economic impact to foster real change,” Dr. Walker added.
Additionally, the Black Wall Street Ticker is a key component of Friends of the Movement Global’s mission.
“Our purpose for creating the Black Wall Street Ticker is to promote economic empowerment and celebrate friends of the movement in a way that has never been done before. Unparalleled transparency and accountability. We need to know who our friends are,” said Dr. Walker.
He further explained that The Black Wall Street Ticker is the first of many conscious spending tickers designed to connect, track, and report spending, giving, and investing in other communities and groups, which he calls Conscious Spending Groups (CSGs).
“Currently, it’s displayed at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship (RICE), a hub that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship within the Black community.”
The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship (RICE) is the largest Black business incubator in the United States, according to Dr. Walker. The ticker is also displayed on FotM Global’s website.
He added, “This ticker aims to unite the spending of Black and allied communities, capturing it in real time. The Black community spends $1.8 trillion annually, and combined, we spend $7 trillion. The ticker helps us leverage this massive economic power to close the wealth gap. It reports our progress as we support Black businesses and celebrate and reward friends of the movement.”
The Black Wall Street Ticker was launched to enhance the visibility and support of Black businesses. It tracks and reports the spending, giving, and investing activities of consumers, organizations, government, and corporate entities.
Dr. Walker also stated that the digital platform can be accessed and integrated into websites and apps, providing real-time data on economic activities that support Black businesses.
The ticker can display advertisements, such as logos, from Black and ally small businesses and corporations. It showcases the aggregate spending of Black consumers, educates them about where their money is making a difference and fosters a more informed and intentional spending community.
“For example, Reach TV is a media partner that will be displaying the ticker in 90 airports on all of their television screens, reaching 158 million travelers per month, and are in 500 bars and hotels,” Dr. Walker added.
Media companies and newspapers can add the ticker to their websites and apps, register merchants to become part of the Black Wall Street Ticker, sell advertising space, and serve as media partners to promote the initiative. Dr. Walker stated that over 4,550 businesses are using the ticker.
“Half are located in Atlanta while we are in a six-month pilot period at Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship (RICE). Atlanta is the first official conscious city. We are loading up cities one by one and adding businesses nationally as we partner with Operation Hope’s 1MBB Program,” he added.
Black and allied merchants can register to be part of the ticker to increase their visibility, revenue, and customer base.
“By participating, they tap into a network of conscious consumers and benefit from increased support. Merchants also receive education to improve their operations through FotM’s Impact Central,” said Dr. Walker.
Impact Central is an educational and support hub where members rate companies for their social impact, spend consciously, communicate with other conscious consumers, and promote tools to empower their community.
The entrepreneur explained how Black spending is tracked through the Black Wall Street Ticker.
“When a consumer registers to become a friend of the movement, they also register their payment methods within the platform. Whenever they spend, if a merchant offers a reward, we provide it and report their purchase amounts. The reported data protects individuals’ privacy and does not include specific products or services purchased or merchant details,” Dr. Walker added.
Visit FotMglobal.com for further details.
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