Please excuse us if we were a little distracted by other goings-on as last week ended, and therefore missed the drop of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2020 list. But while all we really wanted for Christmas (and Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and the new year, and our birthdays) was a new president, the queen of all media is, as usual, also giving us ample opportunity to indulge in some celebratory retail therapy (which would be a hell of a lot easier with some stimulus checks). Call it nostalgia or holiday spirit, but we’ve always looked forward to this list (and fondly remember the good old days when it debuted on TV and you got a gift, and you got a gift, and you got a gift), but have also always wished there were more Black-owned businesses in the mix, as opposed to an annual smattering. A proportion the O magazine team joined many other outlets in remedying, writing:
And this year, there’s a special twist. Because so many people want to support Black lives any way they can, we’ve found dozens of absolutely gorgeous gifts from Black-owned businesses that deserve to be celebrated, because we believe Black lives—and Black businesses—matter. So for 2020, most of my Favorite Things are from Black-owned or -led companies.
What’s more? O added a tab for folks to go straight to a Black vendors-only page—50 small businesses across a range of sectors made the Favorite Things list this year. And we were thrilled to see some of our also-featured faves, including Telfar; Rayo and Honey; Wrap Life; ByChari; Simone I. Smith; Savage x Fenty; Grace Elayae; Mented Cosmetics; Pear Nova; Sheila Bridges; Phillip Ashley Chocolates; Uncle Nearest Whiskey and more.
Of course, this is a year unlike any other in our lifetimes, which heightens our need to make this holiday season extra-special. In the coming weeks, we’ll also be helping to guide your gift-giving for 2020 (and beyond) with our own recommended Black-owned brands as part of The Glow Up’s upcoming Wrapping Paper Roll Call, so stay tuned...but in the meantime, make your favorite things Black ones!