In 2020, Hannibal Bracey created the Instagram page @TheBlackBeanNYC, which is dedicated to reviewing BIPOC-owned and operated coffee institutions throughout NYC. Partly inspired by his own experiences of exclusion and racism in various coffee shops, Bracey hopes to use @TheBlackBeanNYC to empower local communities and businesses that were hit-hard during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, “The Black Bean,” Hannibal Bracey tells a story about his personal love of coffee, the emerging Black coffee culture movement in New York City, his family’s dedication to activism, and the colonial legacy of coffee production and consumption. For him, ecological change is not just environmental, but social as well. And that change comes about “one cup at a time.”

All proceeds from this episode will be donated to Together We Thrive, an NYC-based coalition that provides access to capital, social networks and technical assistance to support the survival, success and sustainability of Black-owned businesses.