educator, MC, coffee nerd, -owner and founder of cxffeeblack [email protected] Cxffeeblack.com Cxffeeblack is primarily an entrepreneurial venture with specific social implications, started by Bartholomew Jones and Renata Henderson to reclaim the black history of coffee and remain its black future. Bartholomew says the goal is to generate a profit from apparel and events and consultations and then use those funds to provide opportunities for people of origin to create and generate inspiring work. His wife, Renata, does a lot of the graphic design through her company, @browngirllettering. WHY THE X? “In math x represents the variable, and that’s what we’re all about—highlighting the variables God has placed in each person to create a better sum. The x is also what black people have historically used to replace the sugars and cream they were given as a last name during slavery. Most did this until they found a connection with their origins powerful enough to become their new family name. The x served as a fulcrum to connect them to their natural notes as humans, and that’s exactly what we wanna do as well,” Henderson started cxffeeblack just like he started his musical journey in college—as an experiment. “What would happen if cxffeeculture loved people of color as much as it loved their cash crops?” “What if we cared for and celebrated single-origin people as much as we celebrated single-origin coffee?” “Cxffeeblack is a social experiment interested in exploring the impact people can have when they are empowered to live with no sugar and no cream. It’s a hip-hop cypher over a cup of probably overpriced coffee between the people who grew it, the people who roasted it, and the people who consume it daily.” Cashapp: $cxffeeblack Venmo: cxffeeblack