Earn a chance to win a $500 travel voucher when you take this survey!
Happy 4th of July Eve! Although our real independence day was on June 19th, 1865, it's still nice to have a day off to enjoy family and friends. So in today's issue we're in the holiday spirit by highlighting Black barbecue pitmasters fighting the gentrification of their cuisine. We then take a trip to the motherland where two West African countries are showing the power of cooperative economics and cocoa beans. And while you're here, take this surveyabout Black millennial economic issues for a chance to win a $500 travel voucher.
Happy 4th!
AFTERNOON SNACK
––More than $3 billion was spent during the first day of NBA free agency. Highlights include Klay Thompson's 5 year/$190 million deal with the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant's 4 year/$146 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
–– Two white men have been indicted after allegedly claiming to be Black or Native American in order to steal $300 million in government funds allotted for minority entrepreneurs. SMH.
––This Black homeowner in Georgia essentially said "not today, Satan!" when a contractor she hired showed up to her home with a Confederate Flag waving from his truck.
––With her #TheBlackHour initiative, Bed-Stuy resident Addy Salauhas a plan to save black-owned bars in Brooklyn from gentrification.
––Although gas prices have risen recently, you can find solace in knowing that they are about 10 cents lower nationallythan they were over the July 4th holiday last year.
WHO SAID THAT?
“She said congratulations...I told her, ‘Thank you for everything that you did. I wouldn’t be here without you.’ I always wanted to tell her that.”
Do you know who said that? (Answer at bottom)
FOOD
These Black Pitmasters are Fighting the Gentrification of Barbecue
People are picky about their barbecue. Texas or North Carolina-style? Sauce on the side or on the meat? And don't even start with smoking techniques. But one thing is for sure: barbecue is an American tradition that was created through collaboration between enslaved Africans and Native Americans dating back to the 16th century.
However, the contributions of Black and indigenous people to barbecue is often undervalued, overlooked, and even erased. There have only been three African-American pitmasters inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame, and all of them were honored posthumously. When you read "best barbecue" lists like this one, not one Black-owned restaurant is included. And surprisingly/unsurprisingly, there is systemic bias even in barbecue food reporting.
But, as you'll read in this piece by Shontel Horne at HuffPost, many Black pitmasters are not content with remaining in the shadows and are working to preserve our history in the barbecue arena.
Ghana and Ivory Coast Partner to Raise Cocoa Prices, Aiming to Boost Farmer Incomes
Ghana and Ivory Coast are collectively saying "pay me what you owe me" and recently announced that they will be collaborating to raise prices on cocoa.
The West African countries are the world's top two cocoa producers––controlling more than 60% of the global supply––but they see very little of the $10-$20 billion in profit that the industry generates annually. In fact, the average cocoa farm family in the two countries only makes around $2,400 annually. That's shameful.
So, the two countries have committed to set a minimum price of $2,600 per ton of cocoa (about 10% higher than the global price), to go in effect starting next year. Leaders of the joint coalition say that the price increase will raise farmer incomes, limit child labor, and give workers a fairer cut of the global profits.
And chocolate manufacturer Mars, who makes candies like M&M's, Snickers, and Twix, has already backed the initiative.
See what happens when we work together?
SURVEY
Take this Survey and Get a Chance to Win a $500 Airline Voucher
Millennials are not a monolith. But, as the Beyond Ideas Group (BIG) states, "Millennial concerns are often lumped together as one narrative without taking into consideration the unique, dissimilar experiences that shape their economic outcomes." The Black Millennial Economic Perspectives Survey aims to change that and add more nuance to the discussion of Black millennial money matters.
After defeating tennis legend Venus Williams in straight sets on Monday at Wimbledon, 15-year-old U.S. tennis player Cori "Coco" Gauff had the chance to thank her role model face-to-face.
