All across the United Sates, peaceful demonstrators have gathered every day weeks in support of Black Lives Matter. Protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25th, but in the weeks following this event, the movement has snowballed to address much larger issues of systemic racism and white supremacy.
While individuals send donations, attend protests and raise awareness for various causes associated with BLM, businesses big and small are looking for ways to do their part for these freedom fighters. A lot of BLM efforts center in Washington, D.C. as protestors seek political reform. As a result, many small businesses in the area are donating their time and effort to help demonstrators continue marching throughout the day.
Here are six of the many restaurants in D.C. helping out BLM protestors right now:
1. Beuchert’s Saloon
This New American restaurant has opened its bathrooms and electrical outlets so that protestors can freely come in and charge their devices. Cell phones are important for sharing important information with emergency contacts as well as for recording videos to broadcast news from the front. Additionally, Beuchert’s provides protestors with snacks, sandwiches and water to keep them fueled during their long days in the heat. They’re also letting demonstrators fill up bottles with cold water and ice, and giving away face masks and gloves to help protect them from COVID-19 while they protest peacefully.
2. Serenata
The Afro-Latinx owned cocktail bar is hosting pop-up events throughout the month of June. A portion of the proceeds from these events will go directly to Black Lives Matter D.C. as well as other, similar activist organizations in the area. For added fun, each pop-up is different from the last: They’ll have vegan dinners, a bartending event called Back to Black, a pastry sale named Bakers Against Racism and much more. You can view their schedule here to see when and what they’ll serve next.
3. Call Your Mother and Timber Pizza Co.
We already did a highlight on this duo to showcase the innovative adaptions they made to help their businesses and employees weather the COVID-19 crisis. They’re back and still fighting for causes that matter to them; these co-owners donated $6K to Black Lives Matter D.C. and Visit Lake Street, an initiative dedicated to revitalizing the Lake Street corridor in Minneapolis, the city where the protests began.
In addition to that, they handed out free bagels to D.C. protestors to keep them invigorated through their demonstrations.
4. Red Bear Brewing
For Pride Month this year, this gay-owned brewery is giving back to the black community. Located in NoMa, Red Bear is accepting supplies to pass out to demonstrators as they come by. Freedom Fighters D.C., a young activist group founded and led almost entirely by black women, started in response to both COVID-19 and the protests; they’re distributing the accumulated supplies at the marches.
Already they’ve given away sunscreen, gas masks and snacks. Check out their company Instagram for running updates on when donators can drop off supplies, what they’re most in need of and more information about the brewery itself.
5. sPACYcLOUd
Almost entirely owned by women, the vegetarian restaurant will donate 10% of all their profits to Black Lives Matter D.C. They’re also giving away masks and water while offering their bathrooms and charge cords to passing protestors. They’re open from 4PM-8PM, and customers can buy sPACYcLOUd gift cards here to support their efforts.
6. Chaplin’s
Themed after Charlie Chaplin and the 70s, this Japanese restaurant has been giving away water bottles to help protestors stay hydrated throughout their demonstrations. They and their sister sushi bar, Zeppelin, are both donating a portion of their sales to Color of Change. They’re not the only ones in the area giving to this cause; South Block, a juice and smoothie shop with multiple locations in the area, give away the proceeds from their açai bowl kits to the same cause.
Color of Change is a racial justice organization that campaigns to end a variety of racist practices embedded into the fabric of our society; from legislation blocking black-owned businesses from receiving COVID-19 financial relief to universal basic income, they fight for the future of black Americans nationwide. Find out more about the organization on their website.
These aren’t the only businesses donating to these types of organizations, but they’re all helping the Black Lives Matter movement in a substantial way by giving to their local chapter and directly giving supplies to protestors on the ground.
You can find more D.C. restaurants who donate portions of their proceeds to their local chapter of Black Lives Matter here as well as D.C. restaurants supporting BLM in other ways here. D.C. citizens can support Black Lives Matter by patronizing these businesses as well as black-owned businesses in the area. Regardless of where you are in the U.S., you can help the cause and support black business owners by frequenting black-owned restaurants in your area.
