Two Black men in Philadelphia were arrested in a Starbucks for the crime of waiting for a friend. The company’s CEO has since apologized to the two men and requested to meet with them. Many are calling for a boycott of Starbucks but that simply isn’t the answer. The issue is racial bias and that can occur anywhere at anytime — boycotting Starbucks will not shield us from some similar actions by a store employee elsewhere. The answer is to support businesses in our own community where we are known, loved and hired by people who look like us. Coffee is big business and we should get our share.
The average American drinks over 2 cups, daily — that’s a whole lot of beans and we’re only talking about American consumption. Overwhelmingly, Black and Brown people in developing nations produce the coffee that enriches Starbucks and other companies. Now is a good time to begin thinking about how we, as a community, can harvest some of those profits and even develop business models that treat producers more equitably. An easy start is to begin buying your coffee from Black owned coffee shops. Doing this will not only help you get your daily coffee fix but also, create jobs and further development in Black communities.
Here are some Black owned coffee shops to consider. By no means is this an exhaustive list but look for your city below and let others know.
Atlanta – My Coffee Shop, 640 West Community Cafe
Baltimore – Dovecote Cafe, Teavolve Cafe & Lounge
Chicago – Sip & Savor, Currency Exchange Cafe
Cleveland – Urbean Joe Cafe
Columbus – Upper Cup Coffee Company
Denver – Whittier Cafe
Detroit- Narrow Way Cafe
Durham – Beyu Caffe
Houston – Kaffeine Coffee
Los Angeles – Sip & Sonder
Milwaukee – Rise & Grind Cafe
Minneapolis/St. Paul – Golden Thyme Coffee & Cafe
Nashville – The Terminal Cafe
Newark – Black Swan Espresso, Mocha Lounge
New Orleans – Backatown
New York – Sol Sips
Oakland – Red Bay Coffee
Philadelphia – iMunch Cafe, Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books
Richmond – Brewer’s Cafe
St. Louis – Northwest Coffee Roasting Company
Washington – Uprising Muffins, Sankofa Video, Books & Cafe
If you don’t see a spot in your city don’t worry, there are a bunch more here. Also, several of our Instagram followers chimed in with Black owned spots in their cities on this thread.
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