“As a Black man, positive stories told from our perspective rarely find their way into mainstream society.”
I found my voice – that space where my passion aligned with the brokenness of the world.
“As a child I was always drawn to my maternal grandfather.”
He was an entrepreneur, pastor, community advocate, and amazing orator. He instilled in David an insatiable appetite for building community and a zeal for intentional leadership. David’s parents reinforced those values and created a rich environment where Black excellence was highlighted – specifically through books and storytelling. One book in particular that stands out to David was a coffee table book that documented the Black Church experience – with beautiful photographs of families going to church, eating Sunday dinner, and spending time together.
“The one image that still moves me to this day was that of a father teaching his son how to tie a tie.”
When David saw that image, he was immediately filled with a sense of pride – that feeling that comes from knowing you are part of a family and community with a rich heritage. And, while David was blessed to enjoy moments like these with his own father, that image remains in his mind as a timeless piece of history.
Bold and Gritty became an idea during the 5th year of David’s neurosurgery residency.
Traditionally, the 5th year is considered a career building year – a time to breathe a little bit before homing in on your surgical skills as a senior resident. That additional time to breathe was much needed for David as he had to deal with and process the deaths of his grandmother to COVID and his cousin, Daniel Prude, to police brutality.
“I found my voice.”
In coming to grips with both the fragility and shortness of life – David found his voice – that space where his passion aligned with the brokenness of the world. “As a Black man, positive stories told from our perspective rarely find their way into mainstream society and I wanted to be part of cultivating that narrative.” As a neurosurgeon, David is uniquely positioned to use his platform to make a positive change in the world – both inside and outside of the operating room. Bold and Gritty has allowed David to do that.
David’s fate as a neurosurgeon was set after seeing a live, human brain during his undergraduate studies.
David watched Dr. David Lowry, of Holland, MI, perform a microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia – a debilitating facial pain syndrome for which many patients would rather die than continue to live in pain. The patient, a woman in her fifties, awakened from surgery free from the excruciating facial pain that had previously made her life unbearable. In that moment, David realized how much he wanted to give patients that same level of hope and amelioration. Following in Dr. Lowry’s footsteps, David immersed himself in academics and set his sights on a career in medicine. Fifteen years later, David is still chasing that dream – now as a sixth-year resident in neurosurgery at the University of Rochester/Strong Memorial Hospital.
Bold and Gritty had this crazy idea.
By honoring Black people’s contributions to the history of coffee and using it as a vehicle to tell inspiring stories – they determined they can liberate a group of people and inspire them to be the change they want to see in the world. Over the next year, David and his team at Bold and Gritty plan to expand their operations to include ready-to-drink and environmentally sustainable single-serve coffee options that highlight locally roasted coffee and serve as a canvas for illustrating beautiful stories.
They have positioned themselves at the vanguard of a fourth wave in coffee.
The fourth wave is about making coffee accessible to everyone and trying to pursue justice in all relationships from bean to cup. This includes developing the communities and neighborhoods in their backyard with the same vigor that they approach just labor practices when sourcing green coffee. They believe that unless they are also pursuing social justice and reconciliation in their own neighborhoods, then it’s not worth it – and their ability to tackle these issues is what makes building Bold and Gritty so rewarding.
“We live in a society so inundated with technology that the images we see are often fleeting.”
What David was inspired to do was to create something that will leave its imprint on the fabric of society – to replicate the sense of pride he had when he picked up his father’s book. His goal is to illustrate the kind of book that a 10-year old will eventually flip through for days on end, tear out a page and stick it to his wall saying, “I’m gonna be that guy, I’m gonna do what that person does to be successful.” That book will ultimately serve as the destination for all the stories that people are sharing on social media and in their packaging.
The founding of Bold and Gritty was as much an idea about telling stories as it was about the relationships David built and continues to maintain.
The #Boldandgrittygang has become an extension of David’s family – making it possible for him to wear many hats at a time. Whereas neurosurgery is primarily a personal journey – Bold and Gritty causes David to rely upon the team in ways he never before imagined, and in many respects has drawn him closer to his wife as they mutually pursue a project much bigger than themselves.
Reflections by: Dr. David Paul
To learn more about Bold and Gritty, visit www.boldandgritty.com
If you were inspired by this story, follow us on social media to stay connected.
Rachel Ann Photography captures the images you see posted on the Love + Lead website.
If you’re interested in working with Rachel, click here to learn more.
