Nothing is cuter than a baby goat.
I’m ready for the weather to change. I am constantly checking the Chicago forecast to see if I can pull my Birkenstocks out of hibernation. My brother has succumbed to my demands and promised to send me some Vermont maple syrup from the upcoming season. My DMs are filled with videos from friends of newly born kids jumping, screaming, and playing “queen of the mountain.” Spring is clearly the best season if you live in a cold winter region, but the anticipation of spring might be even better. It’s a micro season that I am now calling “hope.”
I’m writing this in February during Black History Month. This month, originally founded as Negro History Week in 1926, was officially recognized as Black History Month in 1976 by President Ford. I have The Great Soul Food Cook-Off playing in the background, a reality cooking competition that solely focuses on Black American cuisine, and celebrates the recipes and ingredients made by our enslaved ancestors. I’m eating butter pecan ice cream (IYKYK). My celebration of Blackness is not dependent on what happens in Washington. To paraphrase a great musician: “Say it Loud! I’m Black and your hate and ignorance have got nothing to do with my pride.” Pretty sure that’s the B side of their famous record.
Megan Thee Stallion said “bad bi***** have bad days too,” and these days I’m feeling that line for real—but I am still hopeful. The city of Detroit is getting its first Black-owned cheese shop this spring. Monger Provisions may have shut down their downtown space, but Detroit will still have a cheese shop. The torch has been passed to Janica and Patrick and the shop will open under the name Hosted this spring. As of this writing, they will be one of only a handful of brick and mortar Black-owned cheese shops that I know of in this country. (Check out Edex Provisions in Massachusetts, Say Cheese in California, Fromagio’s in Alaska. … Also, Feast & Graze in Tennessee.) They’re also the closest to my Chicago home. I can’t wait to take the train out there this year and cheer them on.
We’re about to do a hard subject change. Buckle up.
The other day I was asked “How can we keep DEI at work when the government is erasing it?” This is what I actually heard in my mind when this question was presented:
“If the government doesn’t care about diversity, equity, and inclusion, why should I stand up for marginalized people”?
So, let’s touch briefly on what’s been vocalized and how the common interpretation of DEI is wrong, in my opinion. First things first, DEI doesn’t mean Black. Even though it’s being used primarily to tap into this country’s anti-Black passions, DEI is more than supporting Black Americans. It stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion helps protect pregnant people from being fired. It means looking at all of the qualified resumes and not passing on candidates based on their names. DEI makes spaces accessible for disabled people because we deserve to be in all the spaces. It means treating LGBTQIA+ people (especially our trans family) with respect. It means that everyone deserves the same opportunities and chances, regardless of what they look like, who they worship, how they identify, or who they love.
So if you are anti-DEI, scrutinize which part of diversity, equity, and inclusion you do not support, and why?
What if you don’t have any visibly disabled people on your staff? If you live in a predominantly white region of the country, county, or state, why should you concern yourself with making sure people of the global majority are supported in your business? If you’re “pretty sure” your staff is cis and heterosexual why should you work to make sure members of the LGBTQIA+ communities feel safe going to work? Fostering an inclusive environment shows your peers, colleagues, and potential employees that there is a space for them where you work.
A few years ago I was having a conversation with someone and asked them about how the racial protests were affecting their workspace. Was their company planning on putting any language in their documents that acknowledged and protected marginalized folks? The answer wasn’t just no, I was told that it wasn’t a priority for them because their job isn’t located in a diverse area. How disappointing.
You might not have marginalized folks in your workforce now, but being shortsighted isn’t good for business. Not acknowledging that people have different needs and putting protections in place for them lets me, and other marginalized folks know that there’s no place for us in your business.
Customers and employees alike are being more intentional with where they spend their dollar, and even if you don’t broadcast it, what is done in the shadows will come to light. When it does, I hope to find you in community with those of us who identify as women, LGBTQIA+, disabled, veterans, BIPOC folks, and all the intersections of those categories.
Agela Abdullah
Agela Abdullah is a “reformed” cook and chef who took her first job behind the cheese counter in 2008. She currently handles marketing for an Illinois cheesemaker and serves as a board member for the Cheese Culture Coalition. She lives in Chicago with two cats, two sourdough starters, and an old laptop named Harbison.
