Jeskell Creecy & Duke Okeke Connect Black-Owned Businesses Via Car Parade

Y’all trying to parade to the black-owned gas station or nah.                                                                                                                                                    – Facebook Post

Durham, NC – The Black Business Car Parade literally started from the Facebook post above.  “The post received so many comments and reposts, I felt like I had to do it!,” says creator and founder Jeskell Creecy. “The rest is history in the making.” Duke Okeke is the co-founder of the Black Business Car Parade.

The Black Business Car Parade is a movement started to connect the community with African American owned businesses in the area. It was designated to orchestrate meeting up at a specified location, decorate the cars, and actually parade to a Black-owned business.

“We get out and patronize the business. Everyone is encouraged to document the event on social media to further promote the business. The very first parade on July 23 was to a Citgo Gas Station on Roxboro Road in northern Durham, owned by Okeke’s father. The business saw a 300% increase in sales that day which sustained over the week,” Creecy explains.

The Black Business Car Parade – Part 2 on August 22, had over twenty cars and more than thirty participants. This parade expanded to two businesses, Backyard BBQ and Favor Desserts, both located on NC Highway 55. The unique thing about the parade is the buy-in from the community.

“We are not just asking people to support a Black-owned business, we are giving them a date and a time to show up. We are giving them actionable contributions like instructions on decorating your car and giving them ownership of their community. I think all of this is what makes the parade so successful,”  says Creecy. ‘Everyone wants to feel a part of something bigger than themselves, the parade gives them that opportunity.”

Creecy, a 31-year-old Winston-Salem State University graduate,  is a Durham native and has a great love for her city. She is a physical therapist assistant on the front-lines fighting COVID-19. After hours, Jeskell is An advocate for linking people of color to reading books by authors of color, she accomplishes that connection through her Sit with Skell YouTube Channel.

Okeke, also from Durham, is a graduate of North Carolina Central University. He recently completed studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry and is currently serving his community as an Associate Dentist. Having previously worked with his father for over 7 years, Okeke appreciates and supports Black-owned businesses.

For more information about the Black Business Car Parade, please follow @blackbusinesscarparadedurm on Instagram and Black Business Car Parade on Facebook.