Attention to social justice for Black Americans grew in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. While some people took to the streets and joined protests, others focused on supporting Black-owned businesses. In Maine, this spirit fueled the formation of Black Owned Maine, which promotes Black business owners and their products and services. We talk with some of these entrepreneurs—and what it means to support their work. This show is part of our yearlong series on the changing face of Maine.

MAINE, Maine — When the world erupted in protest around the murder of George Floyd, Rose Barboza knew she wanted to do something. As a single mom with COVID concerns, she was reluctant to take to the streets and join in the protests. So, she created a nonprofit called Black Owned Maine with the idea of raising awareness about Black-owned businesses so that people can support these businesses throughout the state. She recognized that there was no public list or directory of these businesses. 

This marks the fourth time that the nonprofit has given out financial relief to families and people who need it during the pandemic.

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine has a shortage of stylists who know how to work on and style hair for Black women, men, and children. Rafiki Shop in Portland aims to change that.

The staff hopes to boost the number of stylists able to work with Black hair and bring more Black-owned businesses to our state.

So on a snowy Saturday night in Portland, dozens of people came to a Black hair show...

BRUNSWICK, Maine - In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020, head women's track and field coach L.J. Que along with students Claire Traum '21, Gillian King '22, and Jada Scotland '23 approached Jerry Edwards '04 and Rose Barboza of Black Owned Maine...

Rose Barboza was at home with her four-year-old child in late May of this year when she saw news coverage of the death of George Floyd, and watched the video of the 46-year-old Black man being handcuffed and pinned to the ground as Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck long after Floyd was dead…

When Rose Barboza lost her job last spring, she never imagined she would soon gain two new business ventures and more than 14,000 Instagram followers as a result.

Barboza, 30, is the founder and co-director of Black Owned Maine, a passion project she started as a way to bring attention and support to businesses owned by Black people statewide...

Rose Barboza’s brainchild went live back in June. Furloughed from her tourism job due to the coronavirus pandemic and grieving the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, the Saco resident spent three days using her rudimentary coding skills to build a simple website called Black Owned Maine, a directory of bookstores, mechanics, food trucks, dentists’ offices, and other businesses owned by Black Mainers. “There are all these big directories that list Black-owned businesses, and Maine is never on them,” she says. “I was like, I wish Maine was on that list. And then I realized I can actually do that myself.”...

Interview with Black Owned Maine

Interview with Rose Barboza of Black Owned Maine