Oak Park Brewing Co. partners with Black-owned brewers for Black History Month campaign

The Oak Park Brewing Co. is partnering with Hunters Point Brewing Co., Full Circle Brewing Co., and Hella Coastal Brewing Co. in a collaboration for Black History Month.

The four Black-owned breweries have established the second edition of People’s Beer Co. release, which contains artwork by Milton Bowens, honoring four heroes and change makers in Black history, packaged in a four-pack of different styles of Hazy India Pale Ales.

They want their effort to call attention to Black brewers in a predominantly white industry, too.

“Despite the continued growth of the craft beer industry, less than 1% of commercial brewers and brewery owners are Black,” said Rodg Little, a brewer at Oak Park Brewing Co. “In efforts to grow the 1%, we are making history every day and we want to recognize those who came before us and paved the way.”

The can labels showcase Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to become a pilot; Mary Ellen Pleasant, the first African American ‘self-made’ millionaire; Frederick McKinley Jones, who patented the world’s first successful refrigerated transportation system; and Robert Abbot, the founder of the Chicago Defender.

Black-owned breweries involved in this collaboration are dedicated to movements that support inclusion, diversity and equity in the craft beer industry, the brewers said.

“The importance in collaborating with other Black owned breweries and home brewers is to help grow the 1% we represent in the industry and help push ownership forward,” said Brittany Claypool, OPB brand strategist and community event coordinator. “Craft beer communities rarely look like us, so as a Black brewery in the heart of Oak Park — once the home of the Black Panther Party Sacramento chapter — it’s our purpose to create space for others right at home.”

The mixed four-pack will be available at local retailers throughout Northern California. This campaign will be running all month long.

Oak Park Brewing Co. revived the People’s Beer brand in 2020 to honor the legacy of Theodore Mack Sr.

Before becoming the first Black brewery owner in the US, Mack picked cotton in the fields of Alabama and rose to become a civil rights giant who stood for economic empowerment and racial equity.

In 1970, he purchased Peoples Brewing Co. in Oshkosh, Wisconsin to provide employment opportunities in minority communities and brew beer for Black people.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 5:25 AM.