A Local Brings Black Restaurant Day to Portland

Inspired by an article about Black Restaurant Day in the San Francisco Chronicle, Portlander Bertha Pearl launched a Facebook event to bring Black Restaurant Day to Portland. The event's page has amassed a huge list of black-owned restaurants in Portland that would otherwise not exist, and according to Pearl, August 29-30 will be Portland Black Restaurant Day.

With everything happening with Black Lives Matter right now, I'd love to see something positive happen. Speaking with Eater by phone, Pearl said, "When a friend shared the article, I thought, let's do this in Portland. I figured if anyone else else was doing it, we could collaborate." The owner of Size Queen Clothing, a company that specializes in what it calls fat fashion, Pearl hadn't heard of any other person or group championing the movement when she launched the event. So far, the response has been significant, especially when you consider that it is a grassroots cause, with hundreds of comments and 1600 saying they will attend.

"Especially with everything happening with Black Lives Matter right now, I'd love to see something positive happen," says Pearl. "Supporting black businesses here is a good way to do it."

Know a black-owned restaurant to add to the list? Just post it in a comment to the event page, and Pearl says she'll add it. To join the cause, dine at Portland's black-owned restaurants August 29 and 30. All of August is National Black Business Month.