Donate to help us rebuild our website
Donation protected
On March 15th, 2022, I woke up to find that my entire website had been compromised and virtually deleted. The hacker was able to access our website, which was then ransomed for bitcoin before, ultimately erasing all of our website's information and content. They were able to access our business email, bank accounts, and charge cards to attempt to purchase other domains and pages and hold our domain hostage until April 7th, 2022.
Our doors opened on Juneteenth 2021, and before our physical location opened, we launched online the month prior. The site housed 600+ book titles, products, and services for our community. And a huge piece of the work that we do is made possible by our ability to connect and provide access to our store to those who cannot physically come into our storefront.
I cannot express how frustrated and deeply personally violated I have felt during this ordeal. I sell books and never imagined this being something that would happen to me because of that. Though I am not sure if I believe this was a targeted attack on the back of a previous cyber-related attack during Black History Month or if this was just the unfortunate hand dealt in this business. But, I believe that the community we care for and love will not let us fail and BLK + BRWN. will continue to do what we do best -- and that's amplify Black and Brown storytelling. We will not be silenced or go away quietly. Our stories matter, and that is what we know!
Donations will go towards the following things:
- Expenses for new website platform
- Time spent rebuilding website/website development
- Loss of wages from the website being down and orders canceled during the attack
- Cybersecurity software
- Consultations for website development, cyber security, and ongoing website surveillance
Thank you for being a supporter, and a member of the BLK + BRWN. ecosystem.
Peace.
Organizer
Cori Smith
Organizer
Kansas City, MO