Blaq App

Blaq App was born of a desire to stop the epidemic of

* Racially motivated violence against BIPOC.

* Prevent kidnapping/Trafficking

* End racial profiling and institutional racism.

* Identify perpetrators and provide peer-to-peer based interventions.

*Support the "missing and murdered indigenous women" movement.

Serve our community holistically:

Provide counseling for individuals suffering from the mental health disorder of racism.

Provide racial de-escalation training for clergy and non-medical first responders.

Provide counseling, re-education, and mental health care services for both perpetrators and victims of racial bias.

* Build and strengthen our communities and provide the resources to aid in creating 24/7 safety, security, and peace of mind for BIPOC.  

Equip our community to actively engage with one another when someone is endangered, profiled, or missing.

* Provide training and resources for allies to assist in de-escalation during racially motivated aggressions.

* Work with allies to create safer communities and protocols for first-responders in non-police-related racial aggressions. 

* Equip corporations, organizations, and institutions with our trademarked training modules for peer-to-peer interventions related to unconscious bias and racial de-escalation conversations. 

Social justice campaigns like Black Lives Matter are activated only after a traumatic incident has occurred. What if we had a communal activation in real-time once a threat is identified and before an incident occurred?  

Blaq App has been developed to equip BIPOC with an easy and fast way to escape threatening situations. The free app once activated manually or by voice command by a potential victim immediately notifies a community of friends, family, authorities, press, and social media of a current threat to life. 

Q: What does Blaq App address? 

A: Racially motivated violence. Hate crimes. Domestic violence. Human Trafficking.

1. Blaq App is a disrupter of institutional racism. It provides a defense against violence perpetrated by vigilantes and race motivated attacks. 

2. Blaq App training aids (modules and test) aid in identifying inherent bias in addition to providing resources to re-train. 

The logo of Blaq App serves to strengthen the community and identify allies allowing us to be “our brother’s keeper” and look out for the well-being and safety of at-risk-members within the community.

How does it work?

• Once downloaded Blaq App can be activated manually or by voice command. It can do the following: 

a. Notify your community to listen in and watch via live video. In real-time.

b. GPS will direct your community to your location and how to find you and bring support or legal representative.

c. Photos and video will help identify offenders and locate their social media connections (employers, LinkedIn, etc.) 

d. Notify local news media outlets of a racially motivated incident if necessary. Send an alert to non-medical first responders i.e. clergy and social workers.

e. Call 911 or locate the nearest police precinct during non-police related incidents.

• • While the Blaq App is a free download available to the public …  There will be many ways to monetize the brand.

BLAQ APP MONETIZATION (social enterprise to create black wealth)

Blaq App merchandise is solely manufactured and licensed to black-owned small and medium-sized businesses. 50% of the proceeds will be reinvested into the black community. 

Meaningful and mission-based merchandise

• • Protect children and young women with the Blaq App, Blaq App badges and keychains. 

  • Blaq App logo is an homage to Black Panther combined with the (Ghanaian) adinkra symbol Nyame Dua (God’s presence and protection) and bridges the Pan African identity. The applique on merchandise serves to identify that the wearer is a member of a larger community that is ready to protect and support the individual holding this emblem.  It also lets potential aggressors know that they are being monitored via GPS and video in real-time.

Blaq App athletic-wear and merchandise includes

• • Dry wick t-shirts for athletes

  • Key chains

  • Phone covers

  • Car windshield applique

  • Bumper stickers

  • Window decals

 The Market

The mean age of African Americans is 34, making them the second-youngest racial or ethnic group in America, with 26% clocking in as Millennials and 28% under the age of 18. According to the study From Consumers to Creators: The Digital Lives of Black Consumers by Nielsen, the growing influence of young African American culture is reflected in their use of digital media as a tool for creation and entrepreneurship.

61% of African American adults agree new technology is “fascinating” to them, with technology use running the gamut from video and audio streaming to ideation web sites. In addition, African Americans are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to learn about technology from others, to read about new technology products, and to recommend or advise on technology products they like. Their media consumption also over-indexes non-Hispanic whites when it comes to all smartphone-related interactions and time spent listening to the radio.

Research shows that there is a “halo effect” around the spending decisions of black consumers, and it’s impacting other demographic groups. “These figures [in the chart previous page] show that investment by multinational conglomerates in R&D to develop products and marketing that appeal to diverse consumers is, indeed, paying off handsomely,” says Cheryl Grace, Senior Vice President of U.S. Strategic Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement at Nielsen. 

A brand’s cultural relevance and engagement with social issues also resonates with black consumers. “38% of African Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 and 41% of those aged 35 or older say they expect the brands they buy to support social causes, 4% and 15% more than their total population counterparts, respectively,” according to the Black Impact report.

This expectation that brands will be socially and culturally aware, coupled with the prevalence of social media use among black consumers, has increased pressure on companies to build new relationships with African Americans and protect their existing market shares within the black community. With 44% of African Americans more likely to support or interact with brands online than their white peers, nurturing these nascent interactions could be critical for brand growth.

FUNDING

Blaq App is seeking $100,000 to complete the development of the App and to create an online store to stock and sell merchandise. 

 The app will take 6 weeks to complete development. Blaq App t-shirts will be available for sale in now. The launch of the app is timed with December 2020. 

Team: 

Founder and creator: Maureen Martin

Business development/social justice crusader/media professional/content creator

www.linkedin.com › maureen-tokeson-martin-52802a38

https://www.thekagency.com/talent/mari-malek/

Developer:

Partnered with Get Grooop

Advisor:

Lian Wairmu Kariuki (International Markets, Africa specialist)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lian-wairimu-kariuki-mpa-b338355a/

Joseph Banda, Investor relations

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephbanda/

Thanks so much for your time, consideration, and compassion. 

The cure for violence against black people in the prevention of violence against black people. 

Blaq App