It should go without saying: Black Lives Matter. Today is Juneteenth, a commemoration of the formal end of slavery in our country. While the United States has not yet recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday, we’re not waiting. A national conversation about pervasive and systematic racism is long overdue. Higher Grounds is closed today in observance of Juneteenth and to provide space for reflection on how we can play a role in combating racism and inequality.
Devastatingly, as we look around at the events unfolding in our country, Black Lives Matter does not go without saying. And so we need to say it, loud and clear. The lives and voices of our black brothers and sisters, along with other people of color, are tragically undervalued and underrepresented. Our nation is overwhelmed with a resurgence of white supremacy and institutionalized violence. Within our neighborhoods and networks, we must recognize our own privilege and confront racism, including in our own predominantly white community of Traverse City.
As a business making this antiracist statement, we acknowledge that this work requires time, honest conversations, and vulnerability. Here at Higher Grounds we commit to that deep work: the often uncomfortable, mindful, but necessary work of claiming and embodying an antiracist identity. We want to recognize and interrupt racism where we work and where we live, and we will be devoting time to internal trainings and conversations to become actively antiracist as individuals and as a company. We hope you will walk alongside us, challenge us, and hold us accountable.
Additionally, we are donating 100% of profits from all web sales today and tomorrow (June 19-20) to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to support the vital frontline work against systemic racism in the United States.