Brand Next Door: Black Coffee Northwest
Two nights ago, following the first presidential debate, a middle-aged white man was caught on tape attempting (twice) to set fire to Black Coffee Northwest, a new Black-owned business slated to open on October 1. I’m not going to go into detail about my deeply held belief that these events are related. I will tell you, however, that the morning after our current president was elected in 2016, one of our neighbors awoke to a hand-written note on his car (riddled with misspellings) calling him a “fag” and threatening his life. To me, the conclusions are clear.
Hateful words and actions are wrong regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on. I honestly have a hard time believing in “sides of the aisle” to begin because it over-simplifies complex and layered beliefs, however, I also know and believe there are bigots and racists all around us. While I do have very strong (and sometimes unnecessary) beliefs about a lot of things—including that cantaloupe is a completely worthless filler melon in too many fruit salads—my human design has an open head center. That means that I am open to changing my mind, especially when presented with new information. Hate crimes, though? I don’t waver there.
The attempted arson pushed back Black Coffee Northwest’s opening date. Many assume that because Seattle is a big city, it has plenty of Black and minority-owned businesses. It really doesn’t, though, especially when you drive a little outside the city limits to where Black Coffee Northwest is located—in a church in Shoreline, the first suburb north of Seattle. This business is sorely needed, and it has plans to do a lot of good, too. It’s housed in a church and will be the future home of an award-winning step and drill team in the area. ODP and I went to an MLK Day event at the Edmonds Arts Center in 2018 and saw a young drill team perform. At two, he was stepping along with them. It was absolutely incredible. Would I consider signing him and B up for their program? 100%.
From the business: Black Coffee Northwest Café and Community Hub is a locally owned Black business. Through thoughtful programming, we bring the community together for networking and collaboration while providing work experience for Black youth in Shoreline. Featured programs include a Black marketplace that will promote and sell Black-owned products, youth barista job training programs, after-school study hours, a weekly youth outreach program known as Friday night Vibez, and “coffee chat”: a conversation series addressing current events This will also be the official home of the award-winning Northside Step Team, Drill Team, and Drum Line which have been providing opportunities for youth since 2000.
This weekend, Black Coffee Northwest is inviting the community to come and chalk their parking lot to show love and support. They also have various levels of donations posted on their website.
Photo courtesy of Black Coffee Northwest
Friendly reminder from your attempting-to-be-a-woke-ally white girl neighbor: there’s room for all Americans to be successful here in this country of dreams. I, for one, can’t wait to check this place out and continue to immerse myself in a community that still has a long way to go.
