Black Market Street coming to Birmingham with spotlight on Black-owned businesses, COVID testing

Postponed. Our 360 News is a sponsor of this event.

Birmingham, Ala. - Black Market Street, a pop-up shop event spotlighting Black-owned businesses, will kick-off in Birmingham. The event, originally scheduled for Oct. 31 in Kelly Ingram Park, has been postponed. The updated date will be posted when released.

When rescheduled, it will be one of five stops for the event. The Birmingham pop-up will feature up to 30 local vendors and artists, food trucks, entertainment and give-a-ways.

The G.I. Jones Foundation and Levi's Grace, two Alabama-based nonprofit organizations, created the pop-up event to provide a high-visibility, low-cost venue for Black sellers and product makers to showcase their goods. It's an ode to the traditional outdoor market.

It will also include a designated area for free COVID-19 diagnostic testing, with priority given to expectant mothers. Terri Reynolds, founder of Levi's Grace, says the organization has expanded its health and wellness programming for expectant mothers to include free COVID testing in response to the pandemic. Testing will be conducted onsite with results provided in 3-5 days.

The G.I. Jones Foundation, which provides business skills to Black entrepreneurs, will also host a virtual session with participating vendors following the event.

A list of participating Birmingham vendors is provided on the event's website.

The event is free and open to the public. Social distancing and face coverings are strongly urged. More information is available on the Black Market Street website.