Issa Rae Curates Holiday Bazaar Supporting Black Businesses: 'Ours Have Been Most Affected by the Pandemic'

The pop-up marketplace will be hosted in Downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 11 and 12

Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for American Express

Issa Rae is all about giving back and supporting her community.

The 36-year-old actress is teaming up with American Express to support Black-owned businesses this holiday season, curating items for the upcoming ByBlack Bazaar pop-up marketplace in Downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 11 and 12. ByBlack is a national business directory and certification program for Black-owned businesses, created by the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., and now amplified by American Express.

Ahead of the event, Rae spoke to PEOPLE about rallying behind Black business owners.

"I feel like if we're not going to do it ourselves, nobody else will," she says. "No one else puts the care that we do into us."

The pop-up marketplace, located at 1005 Mateo Street in Downtown L.A., will feature 16 style-forward local and nationally known businesses — including some of Rae's favorites like SKNMUSE — prioritizing Black-owned companies that don't have a physical brick and mortar presence that allows them to connect with customers during the holiday shopping season.

"Just thinking about shopping small and Black businesses in general, the last couple of years, even in my neighborhood, our businesses have been most affected by the pandemic," Rae explained. "And so to be able to just support them genuinely and supporting families feels right and important to me, especially during this holiday season."

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for American Express

"I think that there's a strong desire for things like this," the Insecure star continued of the event, which will also include free gift wrap by Black Paper Party. "You know, when we talk about Christmas shopping, a lot of it is done online. But a lot of these places that we're featuring don't have brick and mortar locations. And so it's really nice to have a place to congregate and celebrate."

Though she's "not a great gift giver" herself and the only thing topping her Christmas wish list is "rest," Rae said she's excited to continue to bring awareness to businesses in her community, which she says reminds her of her own annual Insecure Fest.

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"Even on our own Insecure Fest, we have like a small showcase of businesses and like having those business owners meet each other and ultimately collaborate and exchange contacts and support one another," she added. "This was so cool. I think the community in small businesses is something special."

Rae held her latest Insecure Fest in October in celebration of the final season of her hit comedy show.

As she wraps up one show and transitions to her next career move — an upcoming HBO Max series called Rap Sh*t — the producer is hoping to maintain her ability to make her shows relatable.

"I think that it just makes it more enjoyable to tell those stories and that's what touches people the most is being able to recognize themselves."

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for American Express

Rae told PEOPLE that she's hoping to maintain that aspect in Rap Shi*t, which will follow two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap group.

However, the actress ensures that she's moving in a different direction with the series and, though she's proud of what she's done with Insecure, she wants her next project to "stand alone."

"I'm really proud of that body of work for being what it is, and now I want to create something else that is what it is, too," she shared. "And I know that I'm gonna have a long way to go with people making comparisons between Insecure and whatever I do down the line. So I think about that, but I kind of have to shrug that off and keep it pushing."