As we wrap up observing Black History Month 2023, it remains important to acknowledge and appreciate the contributions Black people have made in various areas, including technology and the smartphone apps we use every day. From social media platforms to productivity tools, black developers and other people of color have worked hard to create apps that are innovative, useful, and just fun.
Here, we focus on five useful apps developed by Black people that you should check out. These iPhone and Android apps range from those that help you discover and support Black-owned businesses to those that provide legal aid in an emergency to those that curate and highlight sources of news and entertainment by Black creators.
We also read
We Read Too is an app that provides a directory of books written by authors of color. The app was created by developer Kaya Thomas in response to the lack of diversity in children’s and young adults’ literature she experienced as a teenager. The app first appeared in 2014 with the goal of making it easier for young people to find books that reflect their experiences and identities.
“I would go to the library and libraries and book fairs at school, and I would see a very specific selection of books,” Thomas said in an interview with Apple. “By the time I got to high school, I started to get really frustrated wondering why there weren’t any books I was getting into that had black characters or were written by black authors. I started doing my own research and realized that these books existed—they just didn’t exist.” bestseller lists, or displayed in the library or bookstore.
If you download We Read Too, you’ll find that it includes a wide range of books across genres and categories, from picture books to young adult novels. The app’s interface allows users to search for books by author, title, or category, and includes descriptions and reviews for each book. There is also support for Black owned libraries built in, allowing users to find stores where they can purchase the book of their choice.
Download We Read Too (iPhone)
legal equivalent
Legal Equalizer is an app created by Mbye Njie in an effort to combat racial discrimination by law enforcement. The app is designed with the aim of enabling users to assert their rights during police encounters. Njie developed it in 2014 after he was stopped by police for the third time in a month and mistook him for another man with an arrest warrant issued.
After that experience, he developed the app and a company with a name to go along with it. Using the app, users can access vital information and tools for documenting any interactions with law enforcement, including audio and video recording, sending an SOS message to specific contacts, and accessing legal resources. The app can also provide users with access to a lawyer via a videoconferencing feature. The legal equivalent can also assist with meetings with immigration officials.
Download Legal Equalizer (iPhone)
Download Legal Equalizer (Android)
re-dawn
ReDawn is a more realistic app in its concept than most of the apps on this list. It was developed by Sopha Ongele, a student at Fordham University at the time, and is geared towards helping victims of sexual assault and harassment recover from it. It does this through Dawn’s digital assistant, which is able to respond to support or reporting questions without judgment. Dawn can also direct people to hotlines for more immediate help if needed, including crisis centers and 911.
ReDawn comes with a Map feature for quickly accessing health and crisis centers in your area, as well as a reporting feature that allows you to log incidents for up-to-date confirmation should you wish to follow up further with the police.
Download ReDawn (iPhone)
Eat orca
Tired of McDonald’s and Popeyes? There’s an app for that too, and it’s not Grubhub. EatOkra is a popular cross-platform app that helps people find black-owned restaurants and food delivery companies in their local areas. It was created by a Brooklyn couple – Anthony and Janek Edwards – after they sought to find food they valued in their local area. Now, the app has earned a solid reputation as a way to not only support black-owned businesses, but also to diversify the culinary experiences of its users.
EatOkra allows users to search for black-owned restaurants and food businesses either by location or type of cuisine. When you open the app, you have the option to choose from a wide range of companies – as well as add your own. As of this writing, EatOkra supports more than 9,500 menus across the US. The app has also seen partnerships with Uber Eats, Apple, Pepsi, and more, according to the EatOkra website. If you are hungry and looking for black owned meals this is a very solid option.
Download EatOkra (iPhone)
Download EatOkra (Android)
Black – news + culture
Black – News + Culture is a news app developed by MIT graduate Adam Taylor in an effort to create a safe space for black people. It will focus on telling stories that were not the typical stories of crime or deprivation, but focused on raising news that would promote mental health.
Highlights black sources including The Root, Atlanta Black Star, BET, Essence, HuffPost Black Voices, and many more. In addition to selecting sources, the app uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to curate stories that might be interesting to its audience.
Taylor said in an interview with Essence, a media company that targets black women.
Download Black (iPhone)
Editors’ recommendations
