Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice
“I really want to make sure that these Black-owned restaurants are seen, heard, and can build these legacy businesses. From the heart, I want to make sure they are sustainable and that we’re offering what they need.”
- Cheryl Day, Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice Founder
In 2020, Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice began as a coalition of bakers, chefs, makers and restaurant owners with a shared goal of raising funds to benefit Black communities in the South - specifically Black-owned restaurants - during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the founders began a successful collaboration with The LEE Initiative that would help change the course of their fundraising strategy and goals for the future of the organization. Under the LEE Initiative umbrella, SRRJ has raised over $3.3 million dollars through corporate funding and created an annual grant for Black-owned restaurants and food businesses that includes start-up costs, improvement and sustainability funding, and grants specifically built to protect legacy restaurants across the United States. SRRJ now also maintains an emergency relief fund in order to quickly support Black-owned restaurants in times of unforeseeable disasters.
While we have expanded beyond our Southern region and our small locally-driven bake sales, our mission has remained and strengthened: to raise and provide financial resources to protect Black businesses in our industry while also amplifying Black leadership, messaging, and progress.
We’re thrilled to announce the 62 recipients of this year's Black Kitchen Initiative grants. For a third year, we've teamed up with Kraft Heinz and Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice to give out grants to Black food business owners across the country. It's more important than ever to support those who are preserving and sharing Black culinary traditions nationwide, and we're grateful for the opportunity to continue this work.
More than $3.3 million deployed to 199 grant recipients.
Find the Black Kitchen Initiative Podcast Here
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Women Culinary & Spirits Program: This program brings qualified women into the restaurant industry and equips them with new skills, powerful mentors in the industry.
Restaurant Workers Relief Program: This program supports pandemic relief and restaurant rebuilding efforts and will directly benefit restaurant employees.
Restaurant Reboot Relief Program: We provide cash infusions to sustainable farmers to allow independent restaurants to purchase goods to heal the food system.
Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice: We partner with the Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice to provide grants to Black-owned restaurants throughout the South.
The Maker’s Mark CommUNITY Batch – a special release bourbon created by the community, for the community, to support trade and hospitality partners around the country, only available through LEE.
The LEE Initiative's Culinary Education Program: this program addresses gaps in job training and preparedness for high school students and young people in our community.