• Ariana Grande recently shared a photo of iced coffee to her Instagram story and tagged South LA Cafe, a Black-owned coffee shop in Los Angeles.
• After the coffee shop re-posted her photo, she encouraged her LA-based followers to support the business, saying it's "so so good."
• That same day, South LA Cafe said it saw a huge influx of customers. It even served 150 people in just 29 minutes for its South LA Grocery Giveaway.
• "Did y'all know that @arianagrande stands with the Movement for Black Lives and Black-Owned businesses like @southlacafe?" the coffee shop's Instagram shared. "We've been fortunate to win her over from Starbucks this past week, as well as her incredible #arianators."
• "This is an example of people with influence and privilege using it to forward the movement. We welcome the support and are grateful to be recognized for our impact and community leadership."
• This comes after Grande unfollowed her former collaborator Starbucks. Fans believe she's boycotting the coffee company thanks to its ban of Black Lives Matter apparel, which has since been lifted.
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Ariana Grande has leveraged her huge Instagram following to support a small, Black-owned business in Los Angeles.

The 26-year-old pop star recently shared a photo of iced coffee to her Instagram story and tagged South LA Cafe, a self-described "Minority-owned, Family-owned South Central LA coffee shop & cultural center."

After the coffee shop reposted her photo and expressed gratitude, she encouraged her LA-based followers to support the business: "LA friends be sure to try @southlacafe :)," she wrote. "so so good."

The coffee shop's Instagram account posted a tribute to Grande's support on Wednesday evening, praising the singer for using her "influence and privilege" for positive change.

"Did y'all know that @arianagrande stands with the Movement for Black Lives and Black-Owned businesses like @southlacafe?" the cafe wrote. "We've been fortunate to win her over from Starbucks this past week, as well as her incredible #arianators."

"This is an example of people with influence and privilege using it to forward the movement. We welcome the support and are grateful to be recognized for our impact and community leadership."

That same day, South LA Cafe said it saw a huge influx of customers.

The cafe even served 150 people in just 29 minutes for its South LA Grocery Giveaway, a community service provided to locals who may struggle to afford food.

"What a day! Whew! We're about to unwind, celebrate, and sip on a margarita! 150 folks fed in 29 minutes! One for the record books," the Instagram caption reads.

A previous post about the South LA Grocery Giveaway also thanks Grande's fans for their support.

"THANK YOU to the amazing army of volunteers," the cafe wrote, "and the super supportive @arianagrande fans who sent us love and support of the Movement for Black Lives in the comments the whole time!"

This comes shortly after Grande unfollowed Starbucks on social media, a company that she previously praised and collaborated with.

She apparently withdrew her support after the company banned its employees from wearing anything related to the Black Lives Matter movement, according to an internal bulletin obtained by BuzzFeed News.

After receiving backlash, Starbucks announced it had amended its policy to allow employees to publicly support Black Lives Matter. Still, Grande's fans believe she has decided to boycott the company; in addition to South LA Cafe, she has recently shared multiple photos from locally owned coffee shops, including the Black-owned Undergrind Cafe.

This kind of grassroots activism would be in line with Grande's beliefs and actions since she's been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and has been seen attending protests in Los Angeles. 

Grande's Instagram updates can also have a massive impact. She's the most-followed woman on the platform and the second most-followed person overall, trailing only the controversial soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

On average, she gains more than 1 million new Instagram followers every week.

• Read more:
• Ariana Grande, Halsey, and more celebrities are marching in the Black Lives Matter protests
• Justin Bieber acknowledged he has 'benefited off of black culture' and vowed to fight 'racial injustice'
• Tayla Parx cowrote Ariana Grande's iconic breakup song 'Thank U, Next.' Now, her new music explores the freedom of falling back in love
• Ariana Grande has already broken 6 major chart records in 2020 alone

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