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Black Restaurant Week returns for a tasty, third bite

ATLANTA VOICE — The two-week food festival, which has already traveled to Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Indianapolis this year, will highlight a variety of black-owned culinary businesses and professionals throughout metro Atlanta while calling attention to minority inequality in the food and beverage industry.

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Warren Luckett, a co-founder of Black Restaurant Week, said there’s a lot to expect during this year’s stop in Atlanta. (Photo by: Trarell Torrence | The Atlanta Voice)

By Marshall A. Latimore

As he emerges from his Jeep Cherokee just outside the valet stand at Boogalou Restaurant & Lounge in Midtown, adorned in a tailored suit and patterned dress shirt, Warren Luckett is also wearing a confident smile. After all, he’s been here before.

It’s a feeling he looks forward to every year around this time. He’s home — well, his home away from home. His old stomping grounds. And, plus, it’s almost showtime.

Black Restaurant Week, the nation’s largest celebration of the black culinary experience, will entice thousands of Atlanta foodies with a showcase of the region’s top black culinary talent and black-owned restaurants Sept. 1-15.

Luckett, a Houston native and Morehouse College alumnus, co-founded Black Restaurant Week with his partners Falayn Ferrell and Derek Robinson in 2016. In 2017, the trio expanded the festival with a stop in Atlanta as the first market to host Black Restaurant Week outside of the Houston market.

Since then, Black Restaurant Week has emerged as a fixture in eight U.S. markets. Luckett said he is hopeful that the week will go international to South Africa in 2020. “Cross your fingers!” he said.

The two-week food festival, which has already traveled to Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Indianapolis this year, will highlight a variety of black-owned culinary businesses and professionals throughout metro Atlanta while calling attention to minority inequality in the food and beverage industry.

To complete its 2019 tour, Black Restaurant Week will also make stops to the Bay Area and Dallas.

Tonight, though, Luckett has partnered with Jackie Robbins, the general manager of Boogalou Restaurant and Lounge, to host this year’s Black Restaurant Week Media Preview, an invitation-only reception for bloggers, influencers and members of the press.

Over cocktails of Woodford Reserve and a number of bites from Boogalou’s kitchen — including shrimp and grits, chicken sliders, and Caesar salads — guests mingled and networked while Luckett worked the room with his signature charm and excitement over the weeks to come.

“It’s the communal table effect,” said Luckett, co-founder of Black Restaurant Week in a recent ​Forbes Magazine feature. “We want to bring everyone together through the love of food.

“African-Americans make up only eight percent of restaurant owners and managers in the U.S.,” he continued. “Our mission is to provide a platform that calls for inclusion in the industry and exposes and elevates black-owned businesses.”

With its third takeover of Atlanta, Black Restaurant Week has already enlisted a number of local, black-owned restaurants across the city to offer exclusive prix fixe menus starting at just $10.

In addition to the restaurant offerings, Black Restaurant Week will host a stunning lineup of culinary events designed to expand awareness and increase support for the city’s community of black culinary talent.

The current 2019 lineup features some of the city’s most beloved black-owned spots, including Boogalou, Ms. Icey’s Kitchen & Bar in Decatur, Fin & Feathers in Edgewood, Cafe Songhai in Peachtree Corners, Nancy’s Pizzeria in Midtown and Escobar Restaurant in Castleberry Hill, with many more to come!

“Atlanta is really special to us,” Luckett said. “It’s our second-largest market in the campaign and the first city we expanded to after Houston. To say it feels like home is an understatement.

“The black culinary community here is like family and it’s been amazing to watch each business evolve over the years,” he added. “From new restaurant openings to small vendors who are opening their first brick and mortars, it fills us with pride knowing the community continues to grow.”

The vibrant celebration will end on a high note, with a hearty portion of Black Restaurant Week’s proceeds going back to the heartland of the black culinary community— the farmers that sustain the industry.

The organization will make a donation to its community partner, Family Agriculture Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S.), in support of its efforts to provide legal and technical services to farmers of color.

F.A.R.M.S. is a regional 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by agriculture attorney Jillian Hishaw and based in South Carolina with operations throughout Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama & the Carolinas.

The organization has dedicated itself to providing legal and technical services to farmers of color in an effort to prevent the loss of land ownership to build generational wealth and eradicate hunger in the farmers’ community.

Black Restaurant Week Atlanta is proudly supported by Maker’s Mark, Woodford Reserve, Ackerman & Co., ChefWear, Branwar Wine Distributing Co. and Fade Media.

For more information including participating restaurants, tickets and much more, visit ​ATLBRW.com​.

This year’s event schedule includes the following :

Sept 10 | Art of Flavor: A Pop-Up Dinner with Chef Scotley Innis | Parlor Cocktail Den
An event for the refined foodie, this exclusive, intimate dinner presented by Woodford Reserve will feature four gourmet courses from Hell’s Kitchen alum, Chef Scotley Innis. With a special curation of award-winning wine pairings, exotic cocktails and live entertainment, Art of Flavor is a supreme culinary experience not to miss.

Sept. 12 | NOSH: Culinary Showcase | 595 North Event Center
In this spirited mashup sponsored by Makers Mark, featuring top-talent chefs, bakers and mixologists, guests are invited to rank a menu of inspired cocktails and endless delectable bites from a variety of local vendors.

Sept. 14 | Soundbites: Food Truck Festival | Atlanta Food Truck Park
Soundbites will feature a diverse fleet of food trucks and vendors, live music and entertainment for the whole family.

Participating restaurants include:

  • Boogalou Restaurant & Lounge
  • Cafe Songhai
  • Coaxum Low Country Restaurant
  • Dat Fire Jerk Chicken
  • Escobar Restaurant
  • Fin & Feathers
  • Members Only
  • Ms. Icey’s
  • Nana’s Chicken and Waffles
  • Nancy’s Pizzeria (Dunwoody Location)
  • Negril Village
  • Rosie’s Cafe
  • Slim & Husky’s
  • Spice House
  • Sweet Potato Cafe

This article originally appeared in The Atlanta Voice.

#NNPA BlackPress

NAACP Sues Trump Administration Over Dismantling of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The lawsuit comes after a series of drastic actions following the ouster of CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. President Trump replaced Chopra with Russell Vought, who immediately instructed staff not to perform any work tasks and ordered the closure of the agency’s headquarters, taking steps to cancel its lease.

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By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The NAACP has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The civil rights organization argues that the move undermines protections for Black, elderly, and vulnerable consumers, leaving them exposed to financial exploitation. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned the administration’s actions, calling them a reckless assault on consumer protections. “Once again, we are witnessing the dangerous impacts of an overreaching executive office. The Trump Administration’s decision to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau opens the floodgates for unethical and predatory practices to run rampant,” Johnson stated. “We refuse to stand idly by as our most vulnerable communities are left unprotected due to irresponsible leaders. From seniors and retirees, disabled people, and victims of disaster to so many more, our nation stands to face immense financial hardship and adversity as a result of the elimination of the CFPB. If our President refuses to put people over profit, the NAACP will use every tool possible to put Americans first.”

The lawsuit comes after a series of drastic actions following the ouster of CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. President Trump replaced Chopra with Russell Vought, who immediately instructed staff not to perform any work tasks and ordered the closure of the agency’s headquarters, taking steps to cancel its lease. Vought also suspended all investigations, rulemaking, public communications, and enforcement actions. Keisha D. Bross, NAACP Director of Opportunity, Race, and Justice, said the organization maintains its commitment to restoring the bureau’s critical role in protecting consumers. “The CFPB is an agency of the people. From the protection from junk fees to fighting excessive overdraft fees, providing assistance to impacted victims of natural disasters, and holding predatory practices accountable, the NAACP stands firm in bringing back the CFPB,” Bross said. “The NAACP will fight to hold financial entities responsible for the years of inequitable practices from big banks and lenders.”

The lawsuit, filed alongside the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the National Consumer Law Center, the Virginia Poverty Law Center, and the CFPB Employee Association, argues that the administration’s actions violate the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. According to the complaint, the Trump administration has taken deliberate steps to dismantle the CFPB, including firing 70 employees via form email, canceling over $100 million in vendor contracts, and shutting down the agency’s consumer complaint system, which processes hundreds of thousands of cases monthly. The plaintiffs warn that these actions will leave millions of Americans defenseless against financial fraud and predatory lending practices. The lawsuit details the harm already inflicted by the agency’s closure. Among those affected is Rev. Eva Steege, an 83-year-old pastor with a terminal illness who was seeking student loan forgiveness through a CFPB-facilitated program. Her meeting with CFPB staff was abruptly canceled, leaving her without recourse to resolve her debt before passing.

The NAACP and other plaintiffs seek an immediate injunction to halt the administration’s actions and restore the CFPB’s operations. The legal challenge argues that the President has no unilateral authority to dismantle an agency created by Congress and that Vought’s appointment as acting director is unlawful. President Trump has made no secret of his desire to eliminate the CFPB, confirming last week that his administration was working to “totally eliminate” the agency. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a key player in Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” celebrated the move with a social media post reading “CFPB RIP.”

If successful, the lawsuit could force the administration to reinstate the agency and resume its enforcement actions against financial institutions accused of predatory practices. “Neither the President nor the head of the CFPB has the power to dismantle an agency that Congress established,” the plaintiffs argue. “With each day the agency remains shut down, financial institutions that seek to prey on consumers are emboldened—harming their law-abiding competitors and the consumers who fall victim to them.”

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Robert Kennedy and Healthcare. Is There Trust?

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Kennedy, an anti-vaxxer is the new face of healthcare in America. He was confirmed by the US Senate in a vote split along party lines, 52-48. Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell voted with Democrats opposing the nomination.

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By April Ryan

“When you erode trust you lose your democracy because it is based on trust,” according to Black Obama Administration Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. She is responding to the United States Senate’s confirmation of Robert Kennedy Jr. as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, an anti-vaxxer is the new face of healthcare in America. He was confirmed by the US Senate in a vote split along party lines, 52-48. Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell voted with Democrats opposing the nomination. The Alabama-based former Surgeon General declares, “We’ve had anti-vaxxers for years, but they became prominent during COVID,” creating “new” trust issues.

From Benjamin’s professional understanding, “that’s when we started to see people not trust science,” loudly. Her position is that as health matters changed over time so did the medical responses. Controversy swirls around Kennedy’s anti-vaccination stance, however, he is lauded for his posture on preventative medicine. Benjamin is hopeful Kennedy will focus on prevention as she denotes it is “the key to solving many problems in our healthcare system.” When Benjamin was the nation’s top doctor from 2009 to 2013, the Obama administration released a national prevention strategy, which she deemed “a roadmap.” During that job, she worked to move Americans “from sickness and disease to one of health and wellness.”  Benjamin is hopeful that this new administration will “focus more on prevention.”

One of the pressing issues Secretary Kennedy will face is the shortage of healthcare professionals.  “We’ve had workforce issues for a long time. The number of doctors, the number of nurses and we don’t have enough to cover everyone.” Benjamin points out there are regional issues with a lack of healthcare professionals. “You see those decreases particularly in rural areas.”  There is a short-term fix according to Benjamin, “We have to turn to telemedicine because we don’t have [enough] doctors.” She cautions, ” It will get worse before it gets better.” With February being American Heart Month, Benjamin recommends particularly for those in the Black community to “be as healthy as you can…so you can be resilient and respond to things.”  She acknowledges that overall when it comes to our health and wellbeing, “we have to train ourselves where to go for trusted information.”

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American Heart Association Partners with the Black Press for Groundbreaking Black Health Symposium

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The event brought together leaders in healthcare and media, emphasizing the critical need for collaboration in addressing health disparities impacting Black Americans.

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By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

For the first time, a major corporation has chosen to broadcast a significant health initiative exclusively through the Black Press of America. The American Heart Association (AHA) partnered with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) to present “Changing the Future of Health for Black Communities: Public Health and Media Symposium,” a virtual event streamed live on NNPA’s YouTube channel as part of Black History Month. The NNPA is the trade association representing the more than 200 African-American-owned newspapers and media companies in the United States, which only known as are commonly known as the Black Press of America.

Initially planned as a hybrid event in Washington, D.C., the symposium transitioned to a fully virtual format due to inclement weather. The event brought together leaders in healthcare and media, emphasizing the critical need for collaboration in addressing health disparities impacting Black Americans. The panel featured distinguished health professionals, including Dr. Regina Benjamin, the 18th U.S. Surgeon General and founder of the Bayou Clinic; Dr. Keith Churchwell, president of the American Heart Association; and Katrina McGhee, AHA’s chief marketing officer. Media figures included Sharí Nycole, co-host at Reach Media; Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr., NNPA president and CEO; and April Ryan, senior White House correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief for BlackPressUSA.com. Sybil Wilkes, the veteran journalist known for her role on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, moderated the discussion.

Black Health in Crisis

Dr. Churchwell laid out stark statistics highlighting the disproportionate impact of cardiovascular disease on Black Americans. “Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the Black community,” Churchwell said. “Between 2017 and 2020, nearly 59 percent of Black men and women over the age of 20 had some form of cardiovascular disease, including coronary disease, stroke, and hypertension. In 2022 alone, almost 65,000 Black men and 59,000 Black women died from cardiovascular disease.” Hypertension remains one of the most prevalent health concerns. “The incidence of hypertension in the general population is 47 percent, but among Black men, it’s 57 percent, and among Black women, it’s 58 percent,” Churchwell said. “That’s the leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.”

Dr. Benjamin emphasized that addressing these health disparities requires more than just medical intervention. “We’ve learned that to truly reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities, we must address social determinants of health, such as poverty, education, and access to care,” Benjamin said. “Studies show that poverty and dropout rates are as important a health risk factor as smoking.” She stressed the necessity of prevention, adding, “Quality health outcomes depend on access to the right information, tools, and technology. But it also depends on communication—our patients understanding us, and us understanding them.”

Media’s Role in Shaping Black Health Outcomes

NNPA President Dr. Chavis underscored the Black Press’ role in disseminating accurate health information and combating misinformation. “We must recognize that Black media has the power to inform, educate, and sustain critical messaging about health,” Chavis said. “One-shot messaging doesn’t work. We must repeat these messages consistently to keep them in the consciousness of our community.” April Ryan pointed out how urgent the matter is in Black communities. “We are still the community with the highest number of negative health outcomes in almost every category,” Ryan said. “We need to continue this conversation beyond today. This isn’t about a news cycle—it’s about life and death.”

Sharí Nycole stressed that the media must inform and lead by example. “We can’t just tell people what to do—we have to model it,” Nycole said. “We need to be visible examples of prioritizing our health, whether through social media, community events, or personal engagement.”

CPR: Creating a “Nation of Lifesavers”

The symposium spotlighted the AHA’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign to ensure more Black families are equipped with CPR knowledge. The initiative gained national attention following Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest, which immediate CPR mitigated. “Nearly three out of four cardiac arrests that happen outside a hospital occur in the home,” McGhee said. “This means the life you save is likely someone you love. Yet Black people are the least likely to receive bystander CPR. That must change.” Churchwell pointed to a recent AHA study revealing that while bystander CPR rates have improved nationwide, Black women are the least likely to receive immediate CPR assistance. “This presents a massive opportunity for intervention,” Churchwell said. “More people need to be trained, and we need to break down whatever barriers are preventing Black women from receiving life-saving care when they need it most.”

A Call to Action

Chavis announced that the NNPA will make Black health a top editorial priority and extend coverage beyond Black History Month. “We cannot afford to lose a single day without focusing on healthcare,” Chavis said. “Health is not just an issue for February. It’s an issue for all 12 months, every single year.” Ryan asserted that it’s crucial to make health a communal effort. “We have to hold each other accountable,” she said. “Host CPR nights with your girlfriends, bring healthcare conversations to the barbershop, get cholesterol checks at your church health fair. These small changes can save lives.”

McGhee also urged action. “We need to move from awareness to action,” she said. “One person in every household should know CPR. If you don’t, today is the day to start. Visit heart.org/nation to learn more.”

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