What is Black Lemonade?
Black lemonade is actually a detox lemonade made with charcoal, but for the sake of this blog, Black Lemonade is a metaphor for Black legacy. Plain and simple. It’s an expression of achievements that derives from the philosophy of taking the lemons that life has given you and making lemonade– only My Black Lemonade is intended for My Black People. Yes, Beyoncé had an album entitled Lemonade that derives from the same concept, but I wanted to dig deeper and create a platform that celebrates the Culture by toasting our glass of lemonade to the “lemonade” our Black community is stirring up. The detox black lemonade is good for hangovers soooooo (cutting my eyes over at you), maybe we will need it post-celebration. You see where I’m going with this?
The Making of My Black Lemonade
I was watching the 2020 Roots Picnic during the pandemic of COVID-19 and of social injustices against the Black community. During their commercial breaks, they spotlighted small Black businesses in various cities. I had traveled to those cities but was unfamiliar with the shops. I began to wonder how I could find out about these shops if I had never attended this huge virtual concert. Is there a directory? If there were, would they list small shops like these? I searched and the answer was no. Would it include online shops too? Not the few I checked. Instead of wondering “how” whenever I have a problem, I like to resolve it by becoming a solution. It’s an entrepreneurial mindset thing that I have. Thus, My Black Lemonade was born.
My Black Lemonade is my LoveSpace, I’d like to call it, dedicated to toasting to the accomplishments of our Black community around the world. I get to discover small Black-owned shops any-and-everywhere as well as exploring the minds of the owners through conversations of their upbringing. Our culture is engulfed in enchanted stories and a distinct sense of humor as if we’re a Black cohort of comedy. (Low key, I’m convinced we are, though.) My Black Lemonade is about having fun, learning the owners’ stories, and then telling their stories through my stories while creating new stories. I want you to travel to these places with me and meet all these beautiful talented Black creatives.
This blog will also serve as a directory for travelers like me who like to purchase small trinkets to remind me of what I did while I was there. In the Black community, our memories of togetherness with family and friends are our trinkets. I look forward to a good time as I intertwine all of our trinkets into this blog.
