"Black or white, relax and have a beer": Benjamin Smith and Marcus Ellis start a movement in their community

Benjamin Smith and Marcus Ellis are asking people to come on down, and enjoy a beer

Two best friends, Benjamin Smith and Marcus Ellis, from the state of New York, wanted to start a dialogue in their community

Benjamin Smith, who is white, and Marcus Ellis, who is black, set up some lawn chairs, opened some beers and invited others over to chat. The friends put signs in front of Smith’s Pittsford house that read: “Black or white, relax and have a beer.”

Smith, a Marine, and Ellis come from very different backgrounds, but they became friends after meeting at work, building cellphone towers together. “Batman and Robin, exactly what it is,” Ellis said. “I think we’re just goofy, silly, and like to have fun. We don’t care what people say.”

For both men, the recent death of George Floyd and the protests that followed struck a chord. “I fought for a free America, a just America,” Smith said. “When I heard about the George Floyd incident, it really, really upset me. That’s not what I fought for.”

“Another one down. It’s pretty sad,” Ellis said. “People have a right to protest, people have a right to share their voice, but there’s a right way going about things, and a wrong way going about things.”

So, the friends decided to do something small, yet powerful. They put out the signs asking people to join their conversation — and many from their neighborhood showed up.

The image of a white man and a black man sharing a beer spread on social media, and they received thousands of reactions. “It’s insane,” Smith said of the widespread attention. “It’s such a cool feeling that we’re making such a big impact across the community, and what seems to be across the U.S.”

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