The Potluck Protest Will Showcase Black-Owned Restaurants and Feed Protesters This Weekend

A local Dallas activist is planning a Potluck Protest on Saturday, June 13, to showcase a number of the region’s Black-owned restaurants and food trucks, and to highlight the role food plays in community and change.

The event will take place from 3-6 p.m. Saturday at Reverchon Park, right after a 1 p.m. protest at the park organized by the Next Generation Action Network. The lineup for the event is still in the works, but participating vendors already include Bam’s Vegan, Hardeman’s Barbecue, and Michaela Starling of Cooking for Cost.

Jeziel Jones, a Garland native, came up with the idea while attending a protest in Dallas earlier this month, he told the Dallas Morning News. Jones, who works as a software engineer, said he was especially interested in the way food and food service is tied to systems of oppression, as well as past civil rights movements. As the DMN points out, many historical protests have involved food and beverage service establishments, from lunch counter sit-ins to the Stonewall Riots.

Food and the community of sharing a meal also plays a pivotal role in shoring up political movements, giving space for activists to practice self care in the midst of a movement.

In addition to food vendors, The Potluck Protest will include discussions with community leaders, and a fundraiser to benefit both Black-owned restaurants and Dallas-area families in need of groceries. And The Potluck Protest may soon go national — the website lists potential upcoming events in Austin, Chicago, San Francisco and other cities.

• The Potluck Protest: Dallas organizer wants to feed the movement and bring together black-owned food businesses [DMN]
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