photo: La Case Paulette.
Celebrating and empowering black communities doesn’t have to be limited to Black History Month, but now is a good time for us to reflect on how we, as individuals, can help dismantle institutionalized racism. in the spaces we occupy.
To keep the conversations around the Black Lives Matter movement alive from 2020 onwards, it is important to continue to do our part to uplift BIPOC communities in the future. One way to do this from home is to support black-owned businesses and donate to community organizations. It goes without saying that any contribution is particularly valuable during these times due to the negative financial impact of the ongoing pandemic.
To help you get started, here’s our list of black-owned shops, restaurants, and organizations you need to know. Donate, share their pages on your social media, enjoy a delicious take-out meal or find your next favorite item of clothing in our guide below.
This list was compiled with the assistance of Black Brown Berlin. Discover their interactive map for a more complete list.
RESTAURANTS
Bejte-Ethiopia
Bejte-Ethiopia has graced Berlin with its Ethiopian cuisine for 21 years now. With a comfortable Ethiopian-inspired interior, Bejte offers a wide choice of colorful dishes and also hosts traditional coffee ceremonies. Make a reservation or order online. Bejte-Ethiopia also offers catering services and vouchers that you can give to your friends. They are located at 8, Zietenstraße, 10783 Berlin-Schöneberg.
photo: Bejte-Ethiopia
Schwarze Heidi
Jeniffer Mulinde Schmid is a Ugandan-Kenyan actor, comedian and restaurateur who grew up in Switzerland and is also the name behind Schwarze Heidi, the place to go for all things Swiss cuisine. On their menu you will find the traditional Röschti, cheese fondue and Toblerone mousse. The restaurant also offers Swiss tapas, which they nicknamed “Schwapas”. They also have an online store where you can order a full set of cheese fondue which even includes a tablecloth, flowers and cherry schnapps, perfect for a cozy evening at home. You can find Schwarze Heidi at Mariannenstrasse 50, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg.
photo: Schwarze Heidi
Bantabaa food dealer
Prepare Gambian cuisine in Kreuzberg, Bantabaa offers a variety of rice dishes, appetizers and many fried plantains. This place is also great for those who want vegan and vegetarian options. Bantabaa also currently uses single-use packaging for their deliveries, so check them out for a waste-free take-out meal. They are located at Wrangelstraße 82, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg and you can also find them on the Wolt and Lieferando delivery services.
photo: Bantabaa Fooddealer
Massai
An African gastronomic experience with a warm atmosphere, Massai serves dishes from Mali, South Africa, Ethiopia, Eritrea and more. The varied menu offers specialties such as minced meatballs and – for the adventurous foodie – even ostrich meat. There are also vegetarian options. Massai’s positive ratings complement its friendly staff and decorative interior. The restaurant currently only delivers Friday through Sunday, but it will certainly be worth reserving a table there when it reopens. Massai is located at Lychener Str. 12, 10437 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg.
photo: Massai
Burger Revolution
Burger Revolution is a one-man food truck with rave reviews, with some claiming it serves “the best burgers in Berlin”. The burgers are combined with delicious ingredients such as blue cheese, aioli, braised onions and mushrooms. You can find Revolution Burger in various places throughout the week. Mondays at Hermannplatz, Tuesdays at Rathaus Schöneberg, Wednesdays at Alice-Salomon-Platz, Thursdays at Waldsassenerstraße and Saturdays at Südstern.
STORES
Grapefruit lingerie
Grapefruit lingerie sells handmade lingerie created from sustainable materials. They have a wide range of shapes and sizes, colors and textures. As you can see on their Instagram page, their romantic and sultry lingerie is for all bodies, and they have recently started making lingerie for people with penises. You can contact them through the email address on their Instagram to place an order.
photos: Grapefruit Lingerie
La Case Paulette
Directed by sisters Anne-Cécile and Audrey Picardo, La Case Paulette is a French fashion retailer and cultural center offering clothing, jewelry, art and home décor created by selected designers and artists. The vision of the Picardo sisters is to represent a more multicultural image of France – as their website says “no, French culture does not stop at the borders of Paris”. The store offers clothing made from sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, and the designers and artists are mostly women.
photos: La Case Paulette
The Magass
Your next favorite grocery store and flea market, The Magass offers unique pieces curated by Afro-Polish designer and musician Mavin Magassouba. On his blog, Magassouba called his store’s style “80s disco chic and 90s rave lifestyle,” inspired by his love of upcycling and his African and Polish roots. Designed for all genders, Magass’s eclectic fashion is sure to catch the eye. The Magass is located at 59 Reuterstrasse. 12047 Berlin.
photo: Le Magass
Ncosi Clothing
Ncosi Clothing was created by Melly Lenka and Buti Sekhalanga from Germany and South Africa respectively. They design and create vibrant clothing made from Shweshwe, a South African print fabric. Offering a range of gorgeous prints and patterns, they currently specialize in children’s wear and tri-layered face masks – perfect for these days. Ncosi Apparel’s vision is to introduce more African print options into kids’ fashion, as well as bring more color to their community.
photo: Ncosi clothing
Kashkats
Are you working on your fitness? Kashkats is a fitness clothing brand that sells combat resistant resistance bands perfect for lower body workouts at home. On their Instagram page, they also offer workouts you can follow and nutritional advice. Every now and then they also have freebies. Kashkats will expand its line to include more fitness clothing and accessories in the future.
photo: Kashkats
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
Afro-political Berlin
Launched in 2016, Afro-political Berlin offers workshops, business coaching, seminars and networking opportunities to help empower black people, members of the Afrodiaspora and their surrounding communities. While many of their projects focus on business and entrepreneurship, AfroPolitan Berlin also provides resources for overcoming crises as well as psychosocial focus groups. It is a place where people can exchange ideas, develop their identity and celebrate their cultures.
Each teaches one
Each teaches one opened in 2014 as a neighborhood library and has now grown to include a wide variety of resources for black communities. The library is at the heart of this organization and features literature written by people of African descent on topics such as black history, colonialism and racism. Much of their work focuses on children and young people, organizing youth trips, cultural events, workshops and counseling. Emphasizing the lack of access to education during slavery and colonialism, Each One Teach One emphasizes the importance of knowledge sharing among black communities.
photo: Each teaches a
BIWOC Rising
BIWOC Rising aims to empower women *, transgender and non-binary people. BIWOC Rising addresses the fact that the coworking scene that has flourished in Berlin in recent years has been primarily designed for the privileged among us. These coworking spaces have also contributed to gentrification which disproportionately affects marginalized groups such as the working class, immigrants, BIPOC communities and others. BIWOC Rising is focused on creating a safe space for intersectional communities facing discrimination, by offering mentoring, workshops, seminars and networking opportunities.
MyUrbanology
Led by two African-German women Steph and Alina, MyUrbanology is an online platform for black communities, offering job postings, recommended reading, spaces to connect, information for families, and a directory of people who provide various services. After noticing social media posts written by black people looking for black experts like doctors, lawyers, actors, etc., Steph and Alina decided to create the MyUrbanology directory where the community is the welcome to publish its services for a small monthly fee. My Urbanology also accepts donations by email.
photo: My urbanology
Black Brown Berlin
Founded by Femi Oyewole, Chanel Knight, Rhea Ramjohn and Tristan Littlejohn, Black Brown Berlin showcases and celebrates the excellence of BIPOC throughout the city. Delivering carefully curated digital content, Black Brown Berlin informs, connects and serves Berlin’s inclusive black and brown community. Their paid services include seminars, workshops, digital marketing, and a directory of job boards, and they also accept donations.
photo: Roger Sabaté
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