Black Lives Matter LA
Learn more about Black Lives Mater LA here. Donate here.
This issue of institutional racism and police brutality is not a new issue. It's been something that has been calling for change for decades. A couple years ago I was really moved by a book I read from Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, who at the time of the release of his book, The Third Reconstruction, was the president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, pastor at the Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, and founder of Repairers of the Breach. He argues that equality is a moral imperative and sheds light on the "divide and conquer" strategies that are used to keep social and economic inequality structures in place. It feels like we need unity now more than ever. United together we are stronger than any of the structures in place to keep progress from moving forward. The disturbing death of yet another black man at the hands of a white police office is so sad and brings deep feelings of depression that this continues to happen over and over again not to mention the everyday events that go untold and undocumented by the media that are affecting people of color all across America. Being a white male that operates a surf shop and cafe with a female partner that is also white and both raised in extremely privileged conditions, we have a lot to learn and are eager to do our best to make a difference. It really feels like we're at a tipping point right now and maybe our shop can help make a small push in the right direction for a change that can help move us towards equality. Starting today and through the rest of the month of June, we will be selecting a different organization to highlight and donate every sale of a specific beverage towards. This week we are donating every sale from our iced coffees to Black Lives Matter LA, the original chapter of BLM with a multifaceted, rapidly growing team focused on non-violent approaches to everything from youth empowerment, policy, legal action, and research. At the end of each week we'll let everyone know what we've worked to raise together! We'll also be taking a break from our regular social media posts to give way to media that is contributing to organizing. Thanks to everyone who has been working to push this movement forward.