GPJ anti-racist plans + commitments (a work in progress)

June 19, 2020 - Juneteenth

Hello! Jess here. In my Friday newsletter on June 5, I wrote what about I stand for: Black Lives Matter. Period. As MLK said, “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people, and not be in favor of justice for all people.” (see a repost of that email at the bottom of this page). I said that I would publish my anti-racist action plan/commitments (not sure if that’s even the right word for this) on my website, so - here it is! This is VERY MUCH a messy, imperfect first step and an ongoing work-in-progress. I am currently thinking about my actions in three categories: business, personal, and local community. Since I am a human who is running my business, the things I’m doing personally are equally as important to what I’m doing in my business. Actions in all of these categories are necessary to be part of the change I want to see in our world. I’ve linked to the resources I’m using so you can learn (and support!) as well if they are helpful to you. I’ll be continuing to update this page as I continue to learn/unlearn and grow and change.

  1. BUSINESS

    1. MONEY

      1. software and services I use - I am in the process of auditing this so I can set goals to hit my 30% commitment as part of the Anti-Racist Small Business Pledge I signed.

      2. contractors I hire (don’t have any yet)

      3. BIZ EDUCATION - I spend a lot of time/$ learning about building a business, so this is the area I’m most focused on right not (realized I was learning only from white people):

        1. Attended Reimagining Small Business Town Hall by Rachel Rodgers (June 10, 2020)

        2. Signed The Anti-Racist Small Business Pledge (June 10,2020) and am using it to guide my actions, including everything below

        3. Purchased “Business Beyond Profit” workshop by Toi Marie (watched on June 18, 2020)

        4. Paid + Registered for Rework 2020 Series “Whiteness at Work” 4-part class by Desiree Adaway (taking place throughout July 2020)

          1. Update 7/1/20: I have completed the first two sessions of this workshop^ and it is AMAZING!

          2. Update 7/15/20 - completed the third session, one more to go.

      4. FOOD (I spend a lot of $ on food - I am already very intentional with this AND can definitely do more to support BIPOC farmers, so - need to figure out how to organize/update this section. stay tuned.)

        1. update 7/8/20: joined Radical Family Farms 11-week CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and I am now getting their boxes of delicious veggies every other week! - It’s an amazing regenerative farm growing heirloom and heritage Asian vegetables.

    2. PEOPLE (considering all of these and will update actions/statements/values in coming months)

      1. biz leaders I follow + look up to

      2. cooks and chefs I learn from and talk about/promote

        1. update 7/3 - Jenny Dorsey of Studio Atao is doing incredible food justice education work! I am following her closely and financially supporting her

      3. my customers and followers

        1. making sure they feel included, seen, + safe in my content

          1. update 7/17/20: had a great correction from a follower on my Instagram story which led to a great conversation and learning on my part!

      4. collaborations with other people and/or brands

      5. hiring (in the future)

    3. PRACTICES/OPERATIONS (this is a major work in progress - just some notes on how I’m thinking about it right now)

      1. my pricing - making it accessible by having different levels 

      2. my content - making sure my customers feel included, seen, + safe in my content

        1. 7/21/20 update: this will be ongoing/never-ending work and I am currently focused on how I talk about and cook from cuisines of other cultures in a way that is appropriate (much of this will be in examining what I’ve done poorly in the past and correcting it); learning from Chef Jenny Dorsey and the workshops I’m taking.

      3. my operating principles/ company values - this is a major work in progress; I’m currently reflecting on these principles I learned in Toi Marie’s Business Beyond Profit workshop as a starting place:

        1. #1 No Erasure, only full honor - I am especially focused on this section as it relates to cultural appropriation of food and making sure I AM NOT culturally appropriating, misusing, not honoring, or erasing any person or cultures’ food ways or cooking techniques. Much more to come on this to ensure I appropriately and generously celebrate the genius of other cultures’ foods and give voice most especially to the unheard in these arenas.

        2. #2 No Labor Exploitation, Only the True Cost of Business

        3. #3 No Fake Allyship for Profit - Only take stands for things you deeply live

        4. #4  No Inflated Prices - “Cultivate an Understanding of our True costs for business and price from there”

        5. #5 No treating ourselves as machines, only treating ourselves as humans

      4. sustainability/environment - I think and care about this A LOT (and it’s one of the reasons I’m building a digital biz instead of a real product) but need to write about it and have a plan for it ongoing… stay tuned.

  2. Local Community

    1. SF (where I live)

      1. learning about the history of the land I live on

        1. update 7/21/20 - I currently live on the land that is the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone

          1. need to continue learning about the history of this land

          2. I learned about Cafe Ohlone about a year ago and sadly did not make it there before covid :( but I can’t wait to go when it reopens! Check out this article.

      2. attending events/conversations at Manny’s (at least once/month)

        1. Watched convo with SF DA + Chief of Police on 6/16/20

      3. getting involved in local gov’t - with an actual commitment/role - been wanting to do this for a while, need to actually research and do it - goal to commit to something by Sept 2020

      4. inviting my friends/community/followers to join in whatever local things I am doing!

    2. voting (obviously!! I always vote)

      1. spending more dedicated time learning + researching issues starting in September (well before next election)

  3. Personal

    1. Learning/Unlearning:

      1. Read/reading

        1. Between The World And Me (2017)

        2. White Fragility (March 2020)

        3. How to be AntiRacist - currently reading

        4. Me and White Supremacy - currently reading

      2. Listened/listening (just a few of my favorites I have listened to, not a complete list)

        1. 1619 - so amazing

        2. On Being with Krista Tippett (personally I always listen to the unedited versions):

          1. Resmaa Menakem - ‘Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence’ - MUST LISTEN

          2. Eula Biss - Talking About Whiteness - MUST LISTEN

          3. Devendra Banhart ‘When Things Fall Apart’ - this isn’t about race specifically but it is highly relevant to… everything

          4. Isabel Wilkerson - This History is Long; This History Is Deep

          5. Jason Reynolds - Fortifying Imagination

        3. Brené Brown, Unlocking Us:

          1. Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be Antiracist 

          2. Brené with Austin Channing Brown on I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

          3. Brené with Laverne Cox on Transgender Representation, Advocacy + the Power of Love

        4. Why Ta-Nehisi Coates is Hopeful on The Ezra Klein Show

      3. Watched/watching (will continue to update):

        1. Dear White People (September 2019)

      4. Following (just a few new favorites):

        1. Rachel Rodgers

        2. Toi Marie

        3. Sonya Renee Taylor (especially her IGTV, have learned a lot!)

        4. Rachel Cargle

    2. Spending/Donating

      1. books + courses:

        1. I will continue to support black people by paying for their work: books, courses, art, etc. See courses I have purchased in the business/education section. I will buy books as often as possible. I purchased 6 books by black authors (Toni Morrison, Alice Waters, etc) on May 30, 2020

      2. donations

        1. I have been donating $35 monthly to Acta Non Verba (Youth Urban Farm Project in Oakland) since September 2018

        2. I have been donating $10.30 monthly to Together Rising since August 2019

        3. Starting May 28, 2020 began donating $16.04 monthly to Rachel Cargle’s Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund for Black Women and Girls 

          1. (Note: From April 2019-March 2020 I was donating $10 monthly to The North Star, and from Aug 2020-March 2020 was donating $25 quarterly to Shaun King’s Flip the Senate. After being made aware of and reading this article in March 2020, I promptly stopped those donations.)

        4. Starting July 3, 2020 supporting Chef Jenny Dorsey’s Studio ATAO at $15/month

        5. July 3, 2020: Donated $110 to the Go-Fund-ME to help Kiley Clark, @freshtofarming, start a black-led regenerative farm in Sonoma County

        6. July 6, 2020: Subscribed to Alicia Kennedy’s Newsletter for $30/year - she’s a freelance writer on food, culture, climate, etc

    3. HAVING REAL LIFE CONVERSATIONS (mostly with white people) - this is something I’m doing and will continue to do intentionally for the rest of life! Not sure how/what to write about it here. I may add guides I find helpful and/or may write about my conversations in the future.

RESOURCES/READING ON FOOD/RACE/CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

(not at all comprehensive just what I've been exploring):

Podcasts:

Twitter threads/Social Media:

Articles:

June 5, 2020 - Food for Thought Friday: food justice is racial justice (repost of the Friday newsletter I sent on June 5 to my email list)

Dear friends,

I can’t write about food today without talking about what’s going on in America right now. I’ve barely even noticed what I’ve been cooking and eating for the past week - all I can think about is racism. Racism, and its deep, foundational roots in our country. And my place in all of that, and how - even though I have cared about the injustice - I have not been doing nearly enough about it.

This conversation is too important not to have, so even though I question adding my (privileged, white) voice to the discussion, I am committed to showing up (even if I mess up).

Every time I scroll through the list of who has opened my Friday email, I am utterly amazed that so many of you take the time to read what I write. I feel an important connection to all of you: my readers. Some of you I know well, many of you I don't know at all. And so - if you’re reading this - it’s important to me that you know what I stand for. Black Lives Matter. Period. As MLK said, “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people, and not be in favor of justice for all people.”

One of the main reasons I care about helping you cook is because I care deeply about food justice + climate justice. I want my work to build towards a world where healthy food is accessible and affordable for all, and where our food is grown in a way that regenerates our shared planet. Food justice IS racial justice - all are interconnected.

While I am not brand new to thinking about systemic racism, I have not been doing nearly enough to be a true ally. I am deeply committed to continuing my own listening, education, empathy, and action around anti-racism work. I have already learned so much just this week.

There are many problems in the world that feel too big to solve. And yet - our organizations, our government, our businesses, our small circles of community - all of these are made up of US - of individuals. I believe in starting with what I personally CAN do in creating the world I want to live in. I believe we can ALL be leaders within our small circles - we can each listen, and then step up to use our own unique gifts to positively impact our small (or big) circles in the world. We each have a role to play - AND - we need each other - for support, for inspiration, for accountability, for guidance. If we all take a fresh look at our lives and the places where we can have the most impact, and if we commit to taking small + consistent actions, together, I believe we really can make change.

And so, I am thinking and planning - deeply and intentionally - about how I can have the most impact in my own life. In addition to what I can do as an individual and in my local community, I see my business as possibly the most important place where I can have an impact. I am dedicated (and excited!) to build a small business of the future - the kind of business that has anti-racism and justice woven into its fabric. I'm still early in building my business (right now it is just me) but as our economy has been tanking, I have become increasingly motivated to work hard to create job opportunities, and to have a positive impact with every facet of my business - from the software services I choose, to the way I talk about other cultures' foods, to the way I eventually hire. 

I am in the midst of a big website update, and will be updating my About page within the next two weeks. It will include my anti-racist plans and commitments for Garlic Press Jess. Today's email is just the first step. 

To my BIPOC readers: I know it is my own responsibility to do the work. I am also committed to learning how to do discuss/present it well, in a way that affirms you and doesn't ask you to educate or comfort me. That said, I know I will probably mess up along the way, and so if you ever find something I say to be hurtful/offensive/wrong, and if you would be willing to be so generous as to call it out to me, I would always want to hear about my errors + your perspective so I can listen and do better the next time.

Finally - one of the reasons I write this email (and one reason many of you tell me you read it) is to inspire you, and so I will leave you with what I am most inspired by right now:

I am finding hope in the fact that black Americans have not given up in this unimaginable struggle. They have fought and fought and fought for hundreds of years against deep injustice. I hope that we can all be moved and WOWed when we listen to what they have endured, and when we look to their examples of perseverance, grit, and determination. I am so inspired by their collective commitment to choosing hope, even when things feel hopeless. It's long overdue and about time that the rest of us join them to take up this fight.

Thank you so much for reading. I included a few resources below - some that I haven't seen others share yet, and a few that I am learning from - many have brought me joy and hope this week.

With love and justice,
Jess

Podcasts:

  • 1619: all 5 episodes are amazing, but especially: 

    • Episode 3: The Birth of American Music (36 mins) is so inspiring + uplifting! Note that the host is chopping vegetables while he has realizations that “the power of black music is that it’s the ultimate expression of that belief in American freedom.” 

    • Episode 5, Parts 1 and 2 are about a sugarcane farming family in Louisiana. The love with which June describes farming made my heart melt.

  • Brené Brown with Ibram X. Kendi (1 hr) - listen up for his rain/umbrella metaphor, powerful stuff.

  • “Why Ta-Nehisi Coates is Hopeful” - The Ezra Klein Show (1hr 32 mins) - Coates’ book “Between the World and Me” ripped me up and spit me out into a new human when I read it in 2017. If he’s hopeful then we have big reason for hope! I found this to be an inspiring, imaginative discussion of what a non-violent world would actually look like.

Self-Discovery:

  • Test yourself for Implicit Bias - Last year I took a storytelling workshop in which we learned about implicit bias and took this free test, which was eye-opening. You can do it on a variety of topics including race and also "gender career" (whether you associate men or women more with having careers.) If I remember correctly, it takes about 5 mins max per test. (An implicit bias is any unconsciously-held set of associations about a social group. Implicit biases are the product of learned associations and social conditioning.)

Article/Infographic:

Small Biz Stuff:

  • This week I bought an online workshop called Business Beyond Profit: "How to create and be in a business that honors people, history, and ourselves" taught by Toi Marie. Just discovered her work this week and it’s EXACTLY what I’ve been wanting guidance on for a while! You pay for it on a sliding scale and the way she framed it actually forced me to think about the value and prices. I am excited to dig in and learn more from her. 

I am currently reading: