Eastside Detroit’s newest Black-owned grocery store is hosting independent presidential candidate Cornel West in February.
West is slated to visit Neighborhood Grocery for a meet and greet on Monday, February 5 from noon-3 p.m. according to a press release. It’s part of the community-focused store’s Black History Month programming, which also includes free grocery distribution and the return of the popular “shoebox lunches.”
West made his first campaign stop in Michigan in Dearborn last December when he voiced his support for Palestine at the “Gaza Endures” interfaith rally. During that visit, he met with several Arab American leaders as many in the community are looking for an alternative to President Joe Biden given his support for Israel.
West is running on a platform of economic, environmental, and transformative justice including reparations for African Americans, a national $27 minimum wage, universal basic income, and banning “Don’t Say Gay” and other anti-LGBTQ laws.
In addition to West’s visit, Neighborhood Grocery has a lineup of events during February to continue addressing food insecurity in the city and celebrate African American culture.
The shop will be distributing shoebox lunches starting on Feb. 10 with options including an Ethiopian spread from Konjo Me, vegan gumbo by Vegan Baddies, or oxtail soup from Angela “The Kitchenista” Davis. The lunches celebrate food from the African diaspora and are a nod to African American travelers who used to pack their lunch in a shoebox during the Jim Crow era.
The shoebox lunch initiative was started in 2021 by Black food entrepreneur collective Taste the Diaspora, co-founded by Chefs Ederique Goudia, Jermond Booze, and Neighborhood Grocery owner Raphael Wright. The lunches range from $20-$41.
Then on Feb. 17, the grocery store will pass out 100 free grocery bags containing produce and produce staples in a reusable tote. The store is asking for community members to help sponsor a grocery bag for food insecure families at $100 each.
Other events include “Soups Soups & Stories” with free soup samples from Lunch Box Deli and a giveaway of 25 crock pots in partnership with Great Lake Collaborative and Double Up Food Bucks of Michigan, a “Speed Dating and Chess” event on Feb. 14 from 6-10 p.m., and a month-long art exhibit on how African Americans shaped the nation’s food culture.
Neighborhood Grocery is located at 500 Manistique St., Detroit. For more info, see neighborhood grocery.myshopify.com.
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