As the world continues to grapple with widespread systemic racism, police brutality, and other racial and social injustices perpetrated against the Black community, non-Black allies are looking for more (or new) ways to support the Black community. Though there are a number of actions one can take to help support, protect, and uplift Black communities — like participating in peaceful protests, sharing accurate information to help spread knowledge, educating and correcting those closest to you who aren’t anti-racists, and donating money to grassroots organizations that have long been doing this work — frequenting Black-owned restaurants (as well as Black-owned businesses in general) every chance you get is an easy but substantial way to support Black people, Black families, and Black neighborhoods.
Though patronizing Black-owned restaurants may not seem like a monumental action item, according to Eater, Black-owned restaurants—many owned by women—have been hit the hardest by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, many Black restaurateurs have either closed their businesses permanently or have lost a significant amount of revenue, as reported by CNBC. In particular, New York City Black restaurant owners have seen as much as an 80 percent decrease in revenue, which is significantly more than those of their non-Black counterparts. While there are plenty of Black-owned restaurants in states like Georgia, California, Florida, and New York, other states may not have a particularly robust number of Black-owned businesses to patronize. That doesn’t mean, however, that Black-owned restaurants are completely inaccessible in your home state. And while you may have to drive a longer distance to find one in your area, discovering a new hidden gem is totally worth it.
To help aid your search, here’s a list of 62 must-try Black-owned restaurants from each state that needs and deserves your support.
Read the full story at Woman’s Day | Food – Recipes.
