How St. Louis breweries and restaurants are supporting organizations working toward racial equity

Local breweries have joined the Black is Beautiful effort to raise money and awareness, while many dining establishments are providing support to nonprofits in other ways.

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St. Louis area breweries and dining establishments are supporting organizations working toward racial justice in a number of ways.

A group of breweries is supporting the initiative Black is Beautiful, a global effort to raise money and awareness for local foundations supporting police reform or that offer legal representation to those who need it, donate to a local entity supporting equality and inclusion, or "commit to the long-term work of equality." To date, nearly 1,000 breweries across 18 countries have pledged their support. In St. Louis, at press time, those included Earthbound Brewing, Schlafly Beer, 4 Hands Brewing Co., Shared Brewing, Side Project Brewing, 2nd Shift Brewing, Perennial Artisan Ales, and Wellspent Brewing Co. 

Last month, La Patisserie Choquette hosted its Juneteenth celebration, called "A Sweet Celebration of Freedom," after which it donated a portion of the proceeds to ArchCity Defenders, which strives to combat "the criminalization of poverty and state violence, especially in communities of color," as well as StL Mutual Aid, which distributes money and support from donations to those in need.

Chouquette's Simone Faure, Tai Davis of Alchemy Bakery, Sharon Harter of The Bellwether and Polite Society, and other local bakers helped organize Bakers for Black Lives, a group of bakers who hold events to raise money for local organizations, including ArchCity Defenders, StL Mutual Aid, Campaign Zero and Action St. Louis. The group has held two events, a bake sale on June 7 and the Juneteenth Jubilee on June 21.

More than two dozen local restaurants donated to the Juneteenth Jubilee. Sump Coffee donated coffee and food to be sold, in addition to hosting its own fundraising, donating all drink sale proceeds from June 19 to Equal Justice Initiative, a national nonprofit that offers representation to people who have been illegally convicted of crimes, unfairly sentenced, or abused in jail and prison, especially in marginalized communities.

Pi Pizzeria supported ArchCity Defenders with a fundraiser June 22, from which it donated all pizza sales to the legal advocacy group. Other restaurants and breweries, including Russell's, 2nd Shift Brewing, Union Loafers, and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., made their own donations toward racial equity as well. 

SHIFT, formerly known as Savage, was among these restaurants, donating 100 percent of its proceeds from June 19 to the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP. The restaurant also changed its name, saying, "Savage is a word with a troubled history and it was a mistake to celebrate that in our naming." In this message, posted on its website and social media, the restaurant also took a stand against systemic racism, saying it is "ubiquitous [and] outrageous" and that it would continue to work to "create safety and equality." 

And Guerrilla Street Food found another way to observe Juneteenth: The restaurant gave its employees a paid holiday and urged customers to shop at Black-owned restaurants and businesses.

Watch for upcoming events from these establishments and more as they continue to support these causes.

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