Juneteenth
Today we celebrate Juneteenth, the day the abolition of slavery was announced in the state of Texas. Though a day of celebration, we are far too often reminded that though slavery has ended, systemic racism and inequality, especially in our judicial system has not. There is still work to be done.
Over four decades ago our founders created our co-op with this simple mission statement in mind: The purpose of Wheatsville Co-op is to create a self-reliant, self-empowering community of people that will grow and promote a transformation of society toward cooperation, justice, and non-exploitation. With that mission in mind they named our store Wheatsville in honor of the first post-Civil War Black community in Austin.
We have certainly have made some missteps in the last 44 years and we recognize that we have work to do. We are dedicated to honoring our namesake and make a positive impact in fighting racial injustice and advancing inclusion and diversity as a whole. We acknowledge our previous missteps and failures and with those in mind we have a deep desire to grow and are committed to doing better each day. We are proud of the current work that we have begun as an organization and are willing to do more.
This year we have made the decision to recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday for all our staff.