a normal coffee break in 2019 when Tiffany Johnson joined with two other Amazon employees to come up with an idea to help Black business owners succeed as selling partners with Amazon.up to launch Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator program that uses a $150 million pledge to help Black entrepreneurs with capital, mentorship, and marketing support.of her meaningful full at the retail giant. “The role small businesses play in our society is very personal to me.
“I remember starting with a little shack in front of our home selling candies,” she recalled. “Then we moved to St. Lucia and started all over again. My parents sold movies, belts, sandals— typical items that tourists would look for when they come to the islands. What little they made, they took it and expanded on it to help the community.”her parents’ drive and ambition for inspiring her to find her own way to pay it forward.
Johnson shared how seeing Black businesses struggle amid the ongoing pandemic motivated her to create a way for Amazon to help entrepreneurs in need while working against issues of systemic racism.