#BakersAgainstRacism Pop-Up
Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I have posted here. I originally blocked my blog, worried that with viewership on this website increasing, my older posts were too vulnerable, personal, and unprofessional. But then this past weekend I had a most amazing turnout for a July 4th Bakers Against Racism pop-up, and I wanted to archive it somewhere on this website, mostly, as a way to keep myself continuously accountable to stand in solidarity with BIPOC and to use this and my pie platform to do what I can. This blog seemed best for it. Plus, if I truly stand by what I wrote in my other posts, why hide them?
I had a few weeks back decided I wanted to launch weekly pop-ups. I was around the same time made aware of Bakers Against Racism. Unfortunately, I did not have everything together in time to join the their official campaign week. While my decision to launch on July 4 was originally a business decision (families would likely want to eat pie on this day), it felt apt to use our nation’s birthday to remind ourselves that we should ALL be endowed with the rights to LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, otherwise we would be celebrating a scam.
I discovered online a local, Black-founded and run non-profit that supports Black farmers — Farms to Grow, Inc., which was perfect. While I think so many missions and non-profits out there focusing on BIPOC rights and reparations are deserving of solidarity, Farms to Grow, Inc. directly works around creating an equitable and humane food system in a sustainable way, both for the farmers and for the environment. This is an area that I feel particularly passionate.
And thus, it was decided. I put on the pop-up page:
Our July 4th pie pop-up will be joining the Bakers Against Racism campaign to support #BlackLivesMatter. While July 4th, our country’s Day of Independence, happens to be A Pie in the Sky’s inaugural Saturday pop-up, it coincidentally falls on a day when it is especially apropos to remind ourselves of the motivations that led to our country’s founding and to examine how we were able to get to where we are today.
Founded by individuals who wanted to break free from oppression and tyranny, by individuals who chartered the Declaration of Independence to vehemently protect the inalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, it is ludicrous that we continue to subtly and overtly deny these rights to peoples — peoples who are our very own citizens and are the descendants of those on whose backs we built this country, and to peoples who we exploit for our gain but do not grant human-ship to.
We have chosen to donate our profits from this pop-up to Farms to Grow, Inc., an Oakland based non-profit dedicated to working with Black farmers and underserved sustainable farmers to motivate the next generation of farmers to grow sustainably and with the community in mind. We look forward to seeing how much we can raise to help support Farms to Grow, Inc.!
The turnout of the event far exceeded my expectations, I sold old within ten minutes of opening, and I had to turn somewhere around ten passer-byers away. It was amazing to see everyone — a good handful of people I had not seen since before shelter in place — and I was touched by the outpour of support. From everyone’s support and patronage, we were able to donate $519 to Farms to Grow, Inc. It’s not that much in the grand scheme of things, but one patron wisely said, “The small things add up.”
Despite the event being over, I want to find a way for A Pie in the Sky to build into its business a way to continue supporting and fighting for the equality and rights of all peoples and helping raise the voices and rights of those who have been systematically pushed down. While we cannot sustainably donate to the cause at this point, we will look into sourcing from BIPOC farmers. I want A Pie in the Sky to be a platform through which to build community, a community of compassion, openness, understanding, and shared humanity.
I am excited to see what the future holds for our community and A Pie in the Sky. For now, it’s just taking it one day at a time, and having the “small actions add up.”
ps. If you are interested in an online space to discuss anti-racism, message me and I can send along more details for you to see if it would be something you’d like to join.