Great news: we’re giving back! Each month, our hotel will be supporting both local and large-scale nonprofits by selecting a relevant charity to fundraise for.

In honor of Black History Month, Crow’s Nest bartender and manager Jaime Bedard has concocted a special drink for a good cause. “Ruby’s Walk” is our take on an Old Fashioned, and combines house-made blood orange cordial, Creole bitters, bourbon, and soda.

But this drink isn’t just smooth; it’s socially conscious! 25% of all proceeds from this cocktail will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Founded in 1940 by Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, the NAACP raises funds for the advocacy of both civil and human rights.

Why the NAACP for this month’s charity?

Their most well-known case was Brown v. Board of Education, which established that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. In 1960, Ruby Nell Bridges Hall walked confidently through the doors of William Frantz Elementary School with a bow in her hair, becoming the first African-American child to attend the New Orleans school following the desegregation of public education. She was only six years old. According to Bridges’ autobiography, her parents volunteered her participation after a public request from the NAACP, which started her lifelong career of civil rights activism.

It’s an honor to pay homage to such a courageous woman. We’ll be crafting this speciality drink for the rest of the month, and it’s available in both The Crow’s Nest and The Northland Gastropub. Stop on by and order a Ruby’s Walk (or three) today!
 

Sources:

Anderson, James; Byrne, Dara N. (2004). The Unfinished Agenda of Brown v. Board of Education. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons. p. 169. ISBN 9780471649267. OCLC 53038681.

Bridges, Ruby. Through My Eyes. New York, Scholastic Press. 1999.