FEATURES • THE NEXT GENERATION
THE NEXT GENERATION STORY BY JOEY HARVEY
Meet Long Beach’s next generation of leaders and activists, all of whom are exploring new frontiers, challenging social norms and creating more inclusive communities.
DANILO BATSON Founder of Spicy Green Book
Social: @spicygreenbook | Web: Spicygreenbook.com
DANILO Batson, 29, wanted to speak to the masses. This led him to creating Spicy Green Book, a national online guide that amplifies the voices of Black-owned businesses specializing in the food and beverage industry. Inspired by Victor Hugo Green’s “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” a guide intended for the safety of Black travelers during the age of Jim Crow in the United States, the Spicy Green Book is a nonprofit organization that provides listings of Blackowned eateries for patrons to support. For the Bellflower native, creating Spicy Green Book was a way to share the stories of these businesses by bringing forth new narratives that diminish the misconceptions of ignorance and racism. “I’ve come to know a lot of these business owners, so as I go back to these places, I get to know more about them and how they started, so you feel attached to these stories.” In order to further expand the platform and create brand awareness, the nonprofit regularly looks for volunteers and donors. In doing so, the support grows for both the platform and the businesses they feature, therefore spreading his philosophy that the more the support grows, the more these establishments’ stories are heard and the momentum of this movement continues.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DANILO BATSON
36
Spicy Green Book, a national online guide that amplifies the voices of Blackowned businesses specializing in the food and beverage industry.
