Abolition Is A Global Coffee Issue
Given the ongoing backdrop of international protests against police brutality in the US over the last two weeks, we’ve prioritized holding public space for Black voices over that of our own company. We’ve approached our role in the reparative work that needs to happen with what we feel is a necessary quiet—not silence—prioritizing financial aid and personal work over performative allyship. However, this is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s important that the conversation doesn’t just end.
We stand unified against the systematic violence and oppression of Black people in the US. We stand against police brutality and a corrupt criminal justice system that targets the Black community. We believe our role is to support quietly and attentively and to generate funds in support of the movement because above all else Black Lives Matter.
Regarding our public-facing operations during this time, we’ll be working to make sure that in addition to supporting the movement for abolition and racial justice in the US, we continue to support the global communities of indigenous smallholders that make up the bulk of our supply chain partners, which includes selling their coffee and buying as much as we can at as high a price as possible. This work can and will never come at the expense or opposition of Black Americans—these struggles are intertwined and must be supported simultaneously.
Our support did not start last week and it will not end next week. This will not be the work of a single news cycle. It’s a long-term fight and we must stay engaged together and hold ourselves and each other accountable as a community. We understand that this work is not linear and we will never arrive at an end point where we no longer need criticism, accountability, and growth; in addition to the concrete work that must be done, our commitment is to stay engaged, to listen with curiosity and openness over certainty, and to be comfortable with discomfort as we continue to learn and grow in the struggle towards true liberation for all.
For transparency about the steps we’ve taken and are taking in support of this fight, you can read more here. To learn more about what you can do, here are three meta-resource links sourced from coffee marketer and activist Jenn Chen:
With you all in strength and commitment,
The Red Fox Team