What do you have planned for May 29? Hopefully not a cup of Starbucks coffee.
Following the unwarranted arrests of black entrepreneurs Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson at the 18th and Spruce cafe last month, Starbucks promised to make a change. The coffee giant announced it would close all 8,000 of its U.S. stores on the Tuesday after Memorial Day to host racial bias training for all employees. The company called it a first step toward racial justice at all its stores.
Thus we officially proclaim May 29, 2018, the Day Without A Starbucks.
Thanks to the proliferation of independent cafes around Philadelphia, getting your coffee elsewhere is easy. Philly Mag rounded up five black-owned or mission-driven shops here, and PMN also listed a dozen or so spots.
Once you’ve figured out the caffeine issue, there’s the racial justice issue to consider.
Philly is full of nonprofits dedicated to helping people of color advance and succeed, and many accept volunteers. Day Without A Starbucks is a perfect opportunity to show support. If you don’t have time to volunteer, you can also donate — save the $5 you would’ve spent on pricey Frappucino and put it toward a good cause.
Here’s 10 places that could use your help on May 29.
100 Black Men Philadelphia
What: The Philly chapter of this nonprofit, founded in 1991, works to increase access to education, health and wellness and economic development for young black men. It offers various programming sessions for Philadelphia youth including a minority entrepreneur apprenticeship program, a robotics program and a chess program.
Where: 1324 W. Clearfield St.
How: Interested? 100 Black Men Philadelphia accepts donations and volunteer mentors. You can inquire about volunteer opportunities here.
Uhuru Furniture & Collectibles
What: This North Philly furniture store donates 100 percent of its proceeds to the African People’s Education and Defense Fund, a national nonprofit that works to defend the civil rights of African people.
Where: 832 N. Broad St.
How to get involved: Uhuru accepts volunteers, and duties can include anything from community outreach to graphic design to sewing to straight up moving furniture.
Plus, you can donate all kinds of stuff to be sold at Uhuru — bedroom furniture, antiques, jewelry, even cars. If you send them an email, they’ll come straight to your house and pick up donations.
Institute for the Development of African American Youth
What: The Institute works to provide educational programming as well as prevention and intervention social services for African American youth and their families. Its got pretty widespread programming — there are summer camps, programs to reduce juvenile crime and parental support groups.
Where: 5548 Chestnut St., first floor
How to get involved: Volunteers can mentor youth, write or take photos for their newsletter or organize fundraisers to benefit the Institute. To apply, submit a form here.
Philly Black Restaurant Week
What: Black Restaurant Week is a national effort to recognize the African American culinary industry. With its Philly iteration (held June 10-17), it aims to stimulate the economic growth of local, black-owned restaurants.
Where: Various Philadelphia restaurants
How to get involved: They’re accepting volunteers in culinary, event and marketing support. Register by filling out this form.
Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation
What: The 37-year-old nonprofit PCDC aims to promote Chinatown as a prominent ethnic, residential and business community in Philly. It provides neighborhood planning, small business workshops and family support services — among other programming.
Where: 301-305 N. Ninth St.
How to get involved: If you want to get involved, submit a volunteer form at least 72 hours in advance.
Nationalities Service Center
What: NSC provides resources to help immigrants and refugees adjust to Philadelphia, including legal protections, community integration, access to health and wellness services and English language proficiency classes.
Where: 1216 Arch St., fourth floor
How to get involved: You can apply to teach ESL classes. If you’re too busy to turn out in person, you can donate money or items from Amazon.
Puentas de Salud
What: Puentas de Salud partners with Philly’s Latino immigrant community to provide access to education, health care and social services and ultimately build long-term prosperity.
Where: 1700 South St.
How to get involved: This is the place to donate or volunteer if you’ve got some special skills. In particular, Puentas de Salud is looking for physicians, nurses and social workers, among other professionals. They’ll also accept graduate student volunteers in those fields.
Asian Arts Initiative
What: This arts nonprofit, founded in 1993, works to advance racial equity and the visibility Asian American people through creative practices. It started out as an art program meant to smooth the relationship between African American and Asian American people at the Painted Bride Art Center, which has since announced it will sell its building and move into another one.
Where: 1219 Vine St.
How to get involved: Fill out the volunteer interest form to help plan and facilitate gallery events, youth workshops and other events. The Asian Arts Initiative also accepts donations.
Juntos
What: This one is a South Philly-based nonprofit that advocates for civil rights for Latinx immigrants. Juntos often makes the news for its community organization and advocacy efforts on behalf of immigrant communities.
Where: 600 Washington Ave., second floor, unit 18UA
How to get involved: Juntos accepts volunteers, preferably bilingual or Spanish-speaking, to participate in various efforts associated with Philly’s immigrant rights movement. Interested: fill out this form.
Congreso de Latinos Unidos
What: This nonprofit was founded in 1977 to enable Latino neighborhoods to achieve economic sustainability. It provides education and workforce training, family and housing resources and health services.
Where: 216 W. Somerset St.
How to get involved: Congreso accepts donations and volunteers — just fill out this form and explain your interests so the nonprofit can match you with the right volunteering opportunity.
