The Boston Black Hospitality Coalition has initiated an inaugural Boston Black Restaurant Month in August to celebrate Black-owned restaurants and bars throughout the greater Boston area.

The 70+ Black-owned restaurants and bars are spread across Boston’s diverse neighborhoods and in nearby cities Cambridge and Somerville.

Organizers are urging local residents and visitors to patronize these restaurants, and then share their experience on social media using the hashtag #BostonBlackRestaurantMonth.

In addition to promoting the restaurants, organizers are also hosting  four outdoor beer and wine gardens across the city.

The Boston Black Restaurant Month is an outgrowth of the Boston Black Restaurant Challenge, initiated last winter during Black History Month, in which patrons were urged to visit 4 Black-owned restaurants in Boston during the month of February.

Nationally, August is also Black Business Month.  Black business owners account for about 10 percent of U.S. businesses and about 30 percent of all minority-owned businesses, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and that amounts to approximately two million companies owned by African Americans.

Follow Boston Black Restaurant Month on Instagram.