By Phi Lee Lam, Membership Coordinator
I am sorry to hear about your trepidations, and I hope this personal letter will provide some insight to you and others who may share the same questions.
For as long as I have been a working member and staff, I have used “shoppers” and “members” interchangeably without the intent to bifurcate. I can also say with certainty and trust that regardless of the terms used during this time, the spirit and culture of cooperation has and will continue to grow as we show up to serve each other and strive towards equity.
As one of the staff who initiated the Bail Project donation bucket, I would also assure you and all members that this action emerged purely from a place of acknowledgment and recognition of the crisis, pain, and trauma that many of our community members have unduly suffered for over generations. We felt compelled to act with urgency as we bore witness to the cries and the silence within our walls. We needed to act in support of and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in order to bring us all one step closer to unity and equity.
In regards to our process of selection, I believe we can find ways to inform and be transparent with the membership as we continue to move forward with supporting other organizations. If the membership feels that this should be a Coop initiative and would like to propose it at the General Meeting, I would be thrilled to support it.