By Ruffin Slater,
The killing of George Floyd last May launched Weaver Street Market on a journey to end racism in our co-op. It caused us to examine the ways that Weaver Street has excluded Blacks and other people of color, and highlighted the work that we need to do to become more diverse and inclusive.
In the words of the E.Q.U.I.T.Y. Alliance, it was time to uproot, reseed, and cultivate.
UPROOT our legacy of racism,
RESEED our interactions and exchanges, and
CULTIVATE our co-op culture to one that is inclusive, just, respectful, and healthful.
This journey is an historic opportunity for Weaver Street to expand our reach with customers, workers, producers, and the community.
The initial response to the killing of George Floyd involved several gestures to help our workers and customers come together. These included: sending a statement to workers and customers; posting large signs at the store entrances; holding a moment of silence on the day of George Floyd’s NC funeral, wearing and selling Justice for George buttons; providing food and water to protesters; and donating approximately $30,000 from the June roundup and button sales to three Black community groups
During this period, a group of four Black Weaver Street workers formed the E.Q.U.I.T.Y. Alliance—Allanah, Portia, Breana, and Jameson. These long-time employees appreciate the potential of Weaver Street, but are resolute about the need for meaningful change. The E.Q.U.I.T.Y. Alliance have been an instrumental leaders of the journey and an inspiration to others. They have made an amazing contribution, including:
- Initiating a racial equity discussion among coworkers through store visits, one-on-one discussions, and discussion on TEAMS.
- Launching the Game Changer program, including soliciting feedback from producers, developing the name, and contributing branding materials.
- Cultivating Game Changer producers by identifying new products, arranging meetings, and brainstorming business opportunities.
- Networking with community groups, including Justice for George fundraising recipients and Co-op Community Fund grant recipient First Fruits Farm.
- Identifying gaps in merchandising and HR system, helping to define the Champions role, and advising the General Manager on strategy.
To help guide the journey, Weaver Street hired LaDonna Redmond Sanders as a DEI consultant for two years starting in July 2020. Several managers and the Equity Alliance attended one of her workshops and determined that her unique combination of DEI skills and experience with food co-ops made her a good fit. Since coming on, LaDonna has led trainings, worked with the Equity Alliance, and been a key contributor to the DEI planning group. LaDonna has emphasized the need to build the skills and resiliency to sustain this journey for the long-term.
Over the course of the fall, LaDonna led DEI training for a group of Managers and customer facing administrative staff, and a group of Champions who are emerging leaders from across the co-op. The training included several interactive workshops and taking the Intercultural Development Inventory survey and developing a personal workplan.
As we move into the new year, we are initiating several project to incorporate DEI into the consumer, worker, producer, and community aspects of our co-op. These project include:
- Prioritize diversity in our hiring process, and create a scorecard to track progress towards diversity goals.
- Continue employee DEI training, including cultural training to work better alongside of staff from Myanmar.
- Create a more inclusive welcome, so that everyone who visits us knows how much we value them, and to remove barriers to shopping and participating in the co-op.
- Make our culture more inclusive, including celebrating a wider diversity of holidays and events. Initial steps have included celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday and Black History Month.
- Revamp our process for product and vendor selection, increase Game Changer sales, and provide fuller support for Game Changer producers.
- Expand out community partnerships by working more closely with the Black Farmers Market and First Fruits Farm, and expanding our Round Up program to include Black-led partners.