We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Winnie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

I have been a teacher for a decade, I am also a mother of six. One thing I would transform about the educational system is the approach to instruction. I believe schools should offer more “student choice “in their instruction . This would allow scholars to find their interests at an earlier age, increase student engagement and create a rich learning environment.

We can prepare students for a more fulfilling life & career by aiding them in discovering their passion, teaching to the “whole” student and addressing the achievement gap (debt) with specific policies and procedures that ensure equitable outcomes.

Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

MN Black Box is centered in Black Economics. Over the past two years we have been dedicated to serving as a platform for other businesses. Our objective is to financially support & promote small Black businesses. A majority of our companies are from Minnesota, however 20% of our partners are from out of state.

So what exactly is MN Black Box you might ask? A simple way to support several brands with one purchase. Our boxes are curated monthly and on average feature 5-7 products for you to try out. We hope you enjoy them! Afterwards, go shop directly so we all can help grow and sustain these businesses. We are not a subscription box, we want our guests to visit the website www.mnblackbox.com and check out our monthly offerings. We did not want a charge to show up on people’s credit card statements. We want our supporters to be intentional about their purchases. Come check out the offferinga often.

When we created our first box in May of 2020 it was simply to celebrate Mother’s Day and to promote by book Everything I Am. After selling out of the first box, we continued with a June box. We started with 7 products and now have been able to be a platform for over 225 Black brands & services.

MN Black Box has created a safe space for entrepreneurs to create commerce, network and support one another. We are looking for like minded individuals who know the importance of shopping and spending within communities of color.
We are not asking people to support our brand because we are Black, we are challenging our guests to switch their spending, transform their patterns and be uncomfortable with trying new products. Essentially, we are creating a commerce space where Black owned businesses can thrive. Because of the support of people who know that sustaining and spending money within communities is essential to the success of those communities. Supporting Black owned businesses is not a trend or fad, it is not a movement. Being intentional about financially supporting Black brands is a lifestyle. We hope that our work allows more people to make a shift.

One thing that sets us apart from others is that, when you shop with us, you are contributing to;

“Supporting Black businesses, one box at a time”. The people that shop with us, become part of our Collective. This work is not achievable without the support from our partner businesses and our supporters.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being my geniune self, showing up for others and allowing myself to be comfortably uncomfortable is how I built my reputation within my market. I enjoy having courageous conversations about the importance of supporting Black businesses. It is a lifestyle not a movement or a fad. We are thankful for all of the people we have met along the way that have encouraged us to continue this work. I also know that my purpose is bigger than myself. This drives our work, we want to leave a legacy behind; that the notion of Ujamaa (Collective Economics) is tangible. Our business answers the questions on, How can we build together and be successful

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

One of my mentors who recently passed December of 2021 always reminded me to not, “forget about the people in the streets”. Face to face interactions and connections has by far been the best source of new guests for MN Black Box. We rely on our supporters to leave reviews, share stories about us and speak about MN Black Box in conversations that come up about the work others are doing on behalf of Black businesses. We are also thankful for the corporate connections we have been able to build. Having worked with the MN Timberwolves, Target, and Take Action MN, to name a few, have allowed our brand into the homes of many that may not have known about us otherwise.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mnblackbox.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mnblackbox/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaBlackBox
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-winnie-06ab94202/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MNBlackBox1
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/lAzq9IDjw3A
• Other: https://g.co/kgs/Mv6x3C https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/video/minnesota-black-box-amplifies-black-businesses-and-vendors/

Image Credits
Photos by Brooke Ross Photography