Taharka Bros: Uplifting The Spirit Of Baltimore…One Scoop At A Time

As we know all too well at this point, Baltimore, MD has been thrust onto the world stage with all of the events surrounding the Freddie Gray Case. Terms coined by those in the dominant society such as “rioting”, “looting”, and “thugs” have been unfairly stamped on the Melanoid citizens of the “Charm City”. In contrast, let’s visit such terms as “visionaries”, “persistent”, and “business owners” in regards to the Melanoid people in Baltimore.

Who are the previously mentioned business owners, you might ask? First, let’s start with the business. Taharka Bros. is a Black-owned business that serves ice cream to Baltimore from a truck that is just as colorful as the personalities of the young Melanoid men who operate the business. Lead by one of the co-founders, Devon Brown, the company creates and sells ice cream with the premise of serving “as a vessel for the continuous flow of conversations in support of cultural understanding, economic and social justice, civic involvement, and actions of uplift for the powerless”, according tits mission statement on its website.

In summer of 2013, a short documentary was made to highlight the Taharka Brothers’ campaign to raise the capital to finance their company, via their Kickstarter page. Celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Shaquille O’Neal, and Russell Simmons either publicly endorsed their campaign, or they donated to finance it. You can view that film in the video below.

Perhaps greater than the fact that this group of young Melanoid men have worked collectively to make Taharka Bros. a great success throughout the Baltimore area, is the heartfelt significance of the company’s name. The dessert company received its name in honor of Taharka McCoy, a 25-year-old Melanoid man who served as a mentor to the youth in Baltimore. McCoy lost his life in 2002, after being gunned down. The staff of Taharka Bros. seek to erase the wrongs of not only systematic white supremacy in their local communty, but also society’s assumption that Black males–especially college aged Black males–indulge in counterproductive behavior.

Now that’s food for thought.

B. Clark