Brown and Balanced with Josh Davis

Shift Drink

Josh Davis and I had been planning on doing an episode for several weeks. But we both got busy and never got on that Skype call. And then May 29th came. On that day, Amy Cooper weaponized the police in Central Park while the Minneapolis Police Department murdered George Floyd. Four days later the country was on fire, literally and figuratively. So Josh and I made time for that phone call. A police station in Minneapolis was still on fire as we talked. And this was just the beginning of protests that are currently spanning the country as this episode posts.

While Trump hides in his bunker and stokes the flames of racial injustice, Josh and I discuss what is to be a black man in America, how he’s used his profile in the industry to become a mentor for young people and bartenders, building a community in his bar, and about Brown and Balanced – a traveling series of popups showcasing the talents of the black and brown men and women that are overshadowed by their white counterparts. For Josh, every step is a step forward.

If you’re EVER in Chicago, and this virus ever permits us to go out to bars again, go see Josh at 16th Street Bar. It’s truly one of the best nights out you’ll have in Chicago. Especially if Josh is behind the stick (to be fair, it will be equally as fun with Sherri behind the bar, too)