Black Lives Matter : Outlining our Commitments

Taste the Local Difference is Michigan’s local food marketing firm. Our mission at TLD is to create a more connected local food system and we acknowledge that the local and good movements we work in are rooted in, and built upon, the work of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). We acknowledge that, as a white run organization, we have unfairly benefited from this work and the increased idealization of local food. We firmly believe that Black lives matter. We condemn police brutality and the systemic racism that is so prevalent in our country and food system. We are committed to using our power and privilege to support the Black community and to taking action to be better allies to the movement. #blacklivesmatter

Our team is committed to learning, listening, and lifting up Black voices.

We’ve made the following commitments:

• To engage in anti-racism learning as a team through books, trainings, and discussions 
– As a team, we’re working through the National Young Farmers Coalition’s Racial Equity Toolkit as well as expanding on the realm of food media we consume and share.

• We’re making our marketing outreach intentional and assessing ways to make our services more accessible for underrepresented businesses
– For new hires, we plan to integrate racial equity training into new team member on-boarding 

• To listen, accept feedback, and to be transparent about how we’re continuing to do this important work 
– This article and our social media posts are our first steps in our public path for change. 

• To use our platform to amplify the voices and work of BIPOC-owned local food businesses
– We want to help change the face of what local food looks like. Let us know how we can feature your business! 

• To consistently engage in the above ways and more, including starting and continuing needed conversations, now and always 

This is how we’re taking action and we know we need to do more. If you have thoughts or feedback on our work to be better allies, please share them with us at [email protected]. – The TLD Team