Check Out Dontavious Young’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dontavious Young.

Hi Dontavious, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a full time (15 credit hours) student at UMKC, I work 10-15 hours a week as a Peer Mentor to the Freshman at UMKC, a youth director for a local non-profit, I do renovation work on my house in my free time, I lease out commercial space in our family’s building on Troost, Dontavious Young also runs Equal Minded Café & Event Center as a General Manager and Owner. Our shop is located in one of the most racially divided regions of Kansas City (Troost Avenue), but it is more than just a coffee shop. It’s a safe place for residents of Kansas City to get involved and get educated on social justice, education processes, equality, and bettering our communities…

In 2010 my granny bought the building we’re currently in to get a black-owned daycare back up and running. The daycare at the time was currently under foreclosure. So, my grandma bought the building and did everything she could to get it back on track for the kids. She leased one side to the daycare, but the other side didn’t have a plan for being used quite yet. In 2018, after seven years of renovations, I started managing the building. I had experienced as a manager, server, and kitchen hand in multiple restaurants and cafés, so I knew a lot about the industry. I also have worked countless other customer service positions and a few outdoor contracting positions. Among the businesses we lease to, there are office spaces, a yoga studio, and of course the daycare, so a coffee shop paired really well with the rest of the building. It’s good to have a safe meeting place in this neighborhood. Only people who are long-time residents of Mannheim understand the greater need that was present for this café.

On top of that, we’re in an area that’s historically known to be divided just by the street we’re on. Troost Avenue is one of the oldest redlines in Kansas City. It’s a food desert east of Troost which is one of the reasons why we wanted to open a coffee shop. The neighborhood needs these kinds of things. My biggest passion is to help people, and we want to bring coffee culture to less affluent neighborhoods while creating a safe space for people with different backgrounds to connect and build relationships. My greatest passion is helping others creating lasting and beneficial connections, and it’s so much more beautiful to see that come to life when their backgrounds are from opposite ends of the spectrum. America is a polarizing country that is constantly creating divides between people with similar mindsets and goals. We need more places like this that help us stay together.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a Minority in Kansas City. Being on Troost in the Middle of a Food dessert / redlined area, We are in a location that people have a stigma towards. When you speak to someone from the KC metro and tell them you’re going to Troost Avenue, you can tell which ones have lived here a long time because those are the ones that quite often are afraid of this area. Ten years ago, you would see multiple crimes being committed on every corner of Troost Avenue and no Police were there to protect anyone. It has changed a lot, but some people most affected by that are still in this community and they need help. KCMO Government’ & City Council’s failures to acknowledge and/or take action on any of the issues East of Troost is a huge challenge, Gentrification is a very controversial topic, but without a doubt it is something prevalent alongside Troost right now as millions and millions of dollars are being invested into one focused area of the road.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Owner & GM – Equal Minded Café & Event Space Property Manager – Ubuntu Village LLC
Property Owner – Real Estate
Full Time Student at UMKC – Class of 2022 (Psychology BA) (GPA 3.75+)
Part-Time ‘Peer Academic Leader’ (Mentor) – University of Missouri, KC
Part-Time Intern – Jumpstart KC
Board Member & Youth Director – SWAGG INC (501-c3)
Community Activist – Historic Mannheim Park District

Who else deserves credit in your story?
My Mother & My Grandmother are both equally responsible for the man I am and the achievements our businesses have made. These two gave me the opportunities and life experiences necessary to get to this point in life. They also gave me the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them on my own. Specifically, my mother and I lived alone for a long time, and I had to grow up very quickly. Long story short, we went through many extreme hardships and challenges in many places, just her and I. What didn’t kill us made us stronger. The rest of the credit goes to my brother Keon and all of my family, friends, enemies, and failures along the way.

Pricing:

• Latte – 4.00
• San Francisco Melt – 11.00
• Bagel Melt (Turkey/Swiss) – 7.00
• Chocolate Croissant – 6.00
• Reuben – 11.00

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: equalmindedcafe.com
• Instagram: @equalmindedcafe
• Facebook: @equalmindedcafe
• Twitter: @equalmindedcafe
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/equal-minded-cafe-and-event-center-kansas-city-3

Image Credits
Steven Daniels Photography Equal Minded Café