Branch & Bone would like to announce our participation in the Black Is Beautiful Initiative championed by Weathered Souls Brewing Co. out of San Antonio. We will be donating 100% of the proceeds from the beer to Dayton Unit NAACP.
More on Black Is Beautiful Initiative:
"The Black is Beautiful initiative is a collaborative effort amongst the brewing community and its customers, in an attempt to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily. Our mission is to bridge the gap that's been around for ages and provide a platform to show that the brewing community is an inclusive place for everyone of any color. We are asking for all breweries and brewers far and wide to raise a glass with us in unison and participate in this collaboration.
In the collaboration efforts, we would ask for participating breweries to do the following:
-Donate 100% of the beer's proceeds to local foundations that support police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged
-Choose their own entity to donate to local organizations that support equality and inclusion
-Commit to the long-term work of equality
Weathered Souls will personally be giving part of our proceeds to the Know Your Rights Campaign. As much as we want this to be about raising money, the real issue is bringing education and information, which will bring forth change to a system that has fractured so many families and has been broken for decades.
This platform and collaboration is about understanding and supporting people of color and inclusion. We ask that you please stand with us to create something that has never been seen before and show the world the brewing community is one of a kind.
For the beer we thought it be appropriate to brew a stout, as it is in the name of the initiative, Black is Beautiful. Weathered Souls will provide the recipe for the stout base, please place your own spin and love into this. The sky is the limit as far as creativity. KD Designs has done an excellent job of creating a label that we feel places the correct symbolism to the project. We ask that everyone use the label that has been provided. We will leave a space open on the label for everyone’s own logos and ideas.
As someone who has personally dealt with the abuse of power by the police, this recent turmoil the country is facing has hit home for me. As I write this, I contemplate how the country can move forward, how we as the people, can create change, and what it will take for everyone to move forward with a common respect for one another. For us, we feel that this is our contribution to a step.
Sometimes that’s all it takes for change."
—
Marcus B, Founder & Head Brewer @ Weathered Souls Brewing
https://blackisbeautiful.beer/…
We have spent a lot of time listening to those around us. As a result we have chosen the Dayton Unit NAACP as the organization any funds we raise to go toward. In doing so, we would also like to draw attention to the 8-Point plan being advocated for by the Dayton Unit NAACP. We urge everyone to speak out in their communities to see their local governments implement these 8-points, among others, as part of a means to address the serious and unacceptable reality of systemic racism and police brutality that is rampant in our society.
The 8 Points are as follows:
- Modifying and/or implementing a citizen’s review board with subpoena powers to investigate complaints made by the public regarding police officers.
- Create a more transparent process around accountability of officers who violate citizens’ constitutional rights, police ethics and departmental policies and procedures by making the officers’ names and their disciplinary records available to the public.
- Create a policy where officers who discharge their weapon and/or use excessive force on an unarmed person be suspended without pay pending an investigation. The officer’s name, policing history and additional information outlined in public records laws should be made public upon the disposition of the investigation and within a reasonable amount of time.
- Ensure transparency, accountability and safety of communities by requiring front-facing cameras to be actively recording all on-duty police officers. The department should also ensure at least two cruiser cameras are utilized in every cruiser, with one facing toward the street and the other toward the person in custody.
- Include an emphasis on mental health assessments, de-escalating conflicts and improving community relations in the core training of officers.
- Ban the use of knee holds and choke holds.
- Actively vet applicants and recruit officers who reflect and proportionally represent the community they serve. Use psychological evaluations in the hiring of officers. The number of applicants for available positions should be hired with regards to diversity and inclusion.
- Provide video of all fatal shootings and arrests, as well as incidents with alleged police brutality, in a reasonable amount of time.
This isn't a political issue. This is a human rights issue. The inequality of people of color in our society cannot be tolerated by anyone and it must not continue. The tyranny on public display toward protestors by our government and its enforcement arm across this country has to stop. The system is broken. Our social media reach is small in the grand scheme of things, but any one person we reach through this initiative is important.
In addition to the 8 points laid out by Dayton Unit NAACP, we would also like to advocate for the demilitarization of the police force, including a ban on use of tear gas and other "less lethal" ammunition on protestors exercising their constitutional right to assemble. A redirection of these funds toward community programs and approaches that are shown to lift up our citizens and prevent crime. The culture of our police departments have to change with a focus on de-escalation instead of force as a top-down approach in policing.
Expect the beer to be available sometime in late July here at Branch & Bone. There is no need to wait to donate to the cause nor is buying the beer necessary to help. Donate directly to the Dayton Unit NAACP through their website at https://naacpdayton.org/donate Speak out and actively make your voice heard that we will not tolerate the status quo. Information is power, lets all do our part in whatever way we can to be part of the solution.
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