Bristol Bakers Against Racism

BUY FROM HART'S BAKERY, BAKERS & CO., HOBBS HOUSE, THE TOBACCO FACTORY, THE OSTRICH PUB, THE ASSEMBLY BAKERY AND BOX-E

Bakers Against Racism is a worldwide event that started circulating in June after Paola Velez, a pastry chef based in Washington DC (@smallorchilds) wanted to create an initiative of simply calling to unite bakers in the fight against the unjust treatment of black people in the United States. Paola and her co founders hoped 80 odd people would join in, they never anticipated it would go global. Over £1million was raised in this initial bake sale, and now lots of different cities all over the world are participating in holding bake sales to raise money for initiatives, community groups and charities who support and work tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism.

This is the Bristol Bakers Against Racism event. 

The bake sale will take place over the course of the weekend of 4th - 6th September, various fantastic Bristol businesses will be creating and making special bakes to sell, whereby all profits will be donated to the fundraiser. There will also be venues running special menu items, across the weekend. 

All funds raised will be split equally across three initiatives:

Whose Culture (@whose_culture)

An outreach project from The Rising Arts Agency and a creative network that is run by young people of colour for young people of colour in the city. It’s a project that gives a platform to celebrate and uplift the achievements, provocations and questions of young people of colour in the community.  To visit their website, click here 

ACA Group (@acabristol)- The Afrikan Caribbean Assembly (Bristol Youth Chapter)

This group are currently desperately working on a campaign right now to save the Rastafari Culture Centre (@rastafariculturecentre) in St. Pauls. They have so much passion and are working so hard to save this space, which provides so much for the black community. Not only are they dedicating their time and efforts to this, they also run black support groups, encourage black business connectivity, create networks and develop black owned economy.  Please find their petition here 

I.DENTITY (@identity.series)

Founded by Rider Shafique (@r7gin on insta) I.DENTITY celebrates diversity and culture through creativity. They have many different ongoing projects, all which focus on giving black and ethnic minorities a positive reflection of themselves. Currently I.DENTITY are sourcing and donating black historical and cultural books to local schools and communities within the Southwest. They are also working closely with Khali Ackford, an activist, volunteer and photographer whose work is widely recognised across Bristol. Together they have some fantastic projects in the pipeline which you can keep up to date with on their instagram account . 

Every penny raised from the bakes and raffle will support and enable these initiatives to accrue resources, purchase equipment, and make a tangible difference to their already dedicated efforts. 

Racism is rife in Bristol. It is happening every day and our black and POC communities are tired. Tired of the trauma, tired of trying, tired of not being heard, tired of the ignorance and tired of not being supported. It is up to us to not only learn, listen, educate and do the research, but to action this every day. It is time to show up and continue to do so for our Black and POC communities. 

Buying some delicious goodies and donating will not end racism here and now, but our hope is that this will spark conversation and get people to start thinking about all the work that is happening in our community that goes unnoticed. If it is successful we hope to repeat these events to support and give a voice to all of the individuals and groups who are constantly battling this fight and working to end it.