Learning as we go.

As you've probably noticed, the police murder of George Floyd and the subsequent national outcry to oppose white supremacy have really roused the activist in me. Since protests began we have been talking, and donating, and giving food, and talking more, and trying to figure out what our role is in this struggle. How can we be most helpful and have the most impact?

I know, and am firmly committed to step one: acknowledge, accept, and begin the slow process of combating my own complicity in the structural racism of our society.  

Step two is more of a work in progress. I want to pivot our business away from our current head-in-the-sand, small-town, small-business mentality. I want to believe that a more radical society and is possible. I want to believe in and participate in the dream that capitalism as we know it is not the answer. Because, let’s be real here, capitalism is the reason structural racism has been allowed to thrive while those of us who benefit from it turn a blind eye. In order to believe in this dream, I have to participate in the realization of it—I want to run our business as if there were another future possible, so that maybe (just maybe) when Dia grows up, another future will be possible.

So back to the problem at hand: how can we engage, immediately, directly, right now? My first thought is to give away our profits (no matter how meager given our dramatically reduced markets during the time of COVID). So, I’m committed to donating at least 20% of sales to… A local social justice organization? A national one? Individual leaders I believe in? All of the above?

How do we avoid falling in to the rubber stamp of "oh we donated 20% of our sales this week" (cue the pat, pat, pat on the back)? Or even worse, how do we avoid the white savior trap of "oh here BIPOC, let me dive in and fix your community please"... And finally, how do we balance the desire to encourage others to act and engage by publicizing our activities while also avoiding the oh-so-prevalent liberal white person problem of making this issue all about me, once again... 

I don’t know, I honestly don’t know. But we’re trying, and we’re going to keep trying, so I guess that’s all I can say. If you have any ideas, let us know! We’d love to hear from you, what are you thinking? What are you doing? What do you wish that we would do?

Let’s engage in a dialog about a better, more just society that we can build right here, right now. And, in the meantime, we’ll just keep giving our profits away, and muddle along toward some kind of coherent strategy…