Recent events have exposed the ongoing injustices faced by the Black community in our country. We stand in solidarity with protesters against police brutality and honor those who have lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement. However, we recognize that statements alone are not enough. We must take action within our company to create a more equitable and just world.
At Urban Leaf, our primary focus has traditionally been on changing the food system. But, as a company with privilege, we understand that we can do more. People don’t follow Urban Leaf for information about #BLM, but sitting on the sidelines and staying silent perpetuates systemic racism. Silence is not an option.
What follows is a plan for the steps we will take in the coming months and beyond. We don’t know exactly where this journey will lead us, but it’s clear that change is necessary, and we’re ready to do the work. We invite you to hold us accountable as we move forward.
1. Understand
The first step in our three-stage plan is to Understand. We’re taking the time to reflect on our role in the fight for racial justice and how we can improve.
Urban Leaf is a small team—just Nate and Rob as full-time employees, joined by three part-time team members: Yuko, Emily, and Rosie. Despite our size, we are committed to anti-racist policies that will guide us as we grow. This includes revising hiring standards, creating employee handbooks, and examining our corporate culture. We also realize that our impact goes beyond our internal team.
- We have a social following of nearly 15,000 people, and our core values include transparency, equity, and accessibility. It's important for us to stand up for what we believe in and lead by example.
- We work with dozens of vendors, manufacturers, and suppliers who employ thousands of people across different states and countries.
- We are part of a larger community of e-commerce businesses, small businesses, and gardening brands. By holding ourselves to a high standard, we hope to inspire others to do the same.
Right now, we know very little about the anti-racism policies, diversity, and workplace practices of the thousands of people we indirectly rely on to run our business. This is a gap we are committed to addressing.
In the coming weeks, we will be asking all our vendors, manufacturing partners, and suppliers to complete a survey. This will help us better understand their workforce composition, existing policies, and anti-racism initiatives.
2. Evaluate
After gathering data from our partners, the next step is to Evaluate it. We need to establish a baseline to understand where things currently stand before creating a plan for improvement.
Some of our vendors and partners may already have more advanced anti-racism practices in place than we do. In these cases, we can learn from them and adopt their best practices. On the other hand, some may be behind, which gives us an opportunity to engage with their management and encourage positive change.
3. Action
The final and most crucial step is Action. Once we’ve assessed the situation, we will set tangible targets for our workforce composition and publish our first Diversity & Inclusion Policy. We invite you to hold us accountable to the targets we set and the changes we commit to making.
We look forward to collaborating with fellow allies and those with expertise in small business racial inclusion policies. Our goal is to leave future generations with not only a sustainable food system but also a world free from racism, police brutality, and oppression.
We invite you to join us in this movement to Understand, Evaluate, and Act. Share your thoughts in the comments below as we take this first step together. Urban Leaf is committed to change, and we believe that we can all be part of it.
There are no comments for this article. Be the first one to leave a message!