AI Is A Gateway To The Welfare State
October 6, 2026 |
Keith Giles
America in 2025 is a battleground—not in the traditional, bombs-and-bullets sense, but in a war against equity, dignity, and progress. With the Trump administration rolling back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and dismantling civil rights protections, the stakes have never been higher. What we are witnessing is not just policy regression; it is an ideological offensive against Black and Queer communities, a calculated attempt to erase the hard-fought gains of the past several decades. In times like these, support for Black and Queer-owned businesses is not just an economic choice—it is an act of resistance.
For marginalized communities, economic autonomy has always been a crucial element of the struggle for liberation. From Black Wall Street in Tulsa to Queer-friendly co-ops in the Castro district, financial self-sufficiency has provided a way to navigate and, at times, circumvent the systemic barriers erected by white supremacy and heteronormativity. Businesses owned by Black and Queer entrepreneurs are more than storefronts and service providers; they are sanctuaries, cultural hubs, and engines for community resilience.
Now, in 2025, as federal protections erode, these businesses serve as bulwarks against economic and social disenfranchisement. When you choose to buy from a Black-owned bookstore or a Queer-owned coffee shop, you are not just engaging in commerce; you are actively redistributing wealth in a society that has historically hoarded it in the hands of cishet white elites.
The rollback of DEI initiatives is not a mere political footnote—it is a direct assault on the ability of Black and Queer Americans to access opportunities that should have always been theirs. Under the guise of “meritocracy,” the administration is stripping away funding, legal protections, and corporate incentives for inclusion. The result? A more hostile business environment for marginalized entrepreneurs and a broader attempt to erase our contributions to American society.
For Black-owned businesses, this means a return to an era where securing loans, rental spaces, and partnerships becomes increasingly difficult. For Queer-owned businesses, it signals a regression into a time when open discrimination was the norm, where a simple rainbow flag in a storefront window could invite economic ruin or violence. In this climate, choosing to support these businesses is not just a good idea—it is a moral imperative.
The response to systemic oppression has always been the creation of alternative systems. Black mutual aid networks, Queer-friendly cooperatives, underground economies—these structures have long existed to sustain marginalized communities when the mainstream refuses to acknowledge our worth. In 2025, we need these systems more than ever.
Investing in Black and Queer-owned businesses is a way of sustaining these alternative economic ecosystems. It is about ensuring that when the government turns its back, we turn toward one another. Every dollar spent in these spaces contributes to job creation, community development, and the long-term sustainability of movements that seek justice.
The Intersectionality of Liberation Supporting Black and Queer-owned businesses is not just about economics; it is about recognizing the interconnectedness of all struggles for liberation. Anti-Black racism and Queerphobia are not separate battles—they are twin heads of the same hydra, feeding off the same system of oppression. The intersectionality of Blackness and Queerness means that many of these business owners navigate multiple layers of discrimination. To support them is to acknowledge that liberation cannot be compartmentalized.
Historically, figures like Marsha P. Johnson and Bayard Rustin understood this intersectionality. They fought not just for civil rights, not just for LGBTQ+ rights, but for a broader vision of justice that left no one behind. The same is true today: economic justice for one community uplifts us all.
The call to action is simple but urgent:
• Seek out and spend money at Black and Queer-owned businesses. Not just on Black Friday, not just during Pride Month, but year-round. (link to our list on the site)
• Amplify their voices. Share their stories, promote their services, and push back against discriminatory policies that threaten their survival.
• Invest in Black and Queer entrepreneurship. If you have capital, fund these businesses. If you have skills, offer mentorship. If you have influence, use it.
• Boycott businesses that fund discrimination. Research where your money is going. Avoid corporations and brands that actively contribute to anti-Black and anti-Queer policies.
Supporting Black and Queer-owned businesses in 2025 is not about charity; it is about survival. It is about recognizing that in a world where our rights are under siege, economic solidarity is one of the most powerful weapons we have. It is about creating a future where liberation is not just an ideal, but a lived reality.
Because when they come for our rights, we will still have our communities. When they strip away protections, we will still have each other. And when they try to erase us, we will write our names in every storefront, every ledger, every dollar exchanged in a Black and Queer economy that refuses to die.
Because a change is still gonna come—but only if we make it happen.
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