I am a small business owner but I am also an activist. In the spirit of transparency, I first want you to know where I stand and then invite you to stand with me. In light of recent events that have highlighted ongoing injustices in our community and in our world, I am issuing the following statement:
All human beings are created equal and deserve to live freely from oppression and injustice. I recognize that I exist in and, in many ways, benefit from a white-centric, white supremacist, patriarchal, heterosexual and cis-gender normative system and I am committed to dismantling said system. I am committed to spending my time, energy, and money in spaces--be they virtual, mental, or physical--that actively work toward progress and liberty for people of color, people who are disabled, people whose gender identity, sexuality, or any other aspects of WHO THEY ARE have rendered them marginalized and oppressed by the system of colonization and brutality advanced by whiteness and the normative values of American culture.
If you are a person who has been marginalized by our culture's institutions and systems, please know I am committed to holding space for you and creating sanctuary for you. I will continue to study and listen. I will continue to look in the mirror to engage deeply and honestly with my own learned and ingrained fragility, privilege, and phobias. I am open and I am willing to do better. I am here and I am standing with you.
In love and solidarity,
Jess
