Join Solidarity News for a panel on how UO can reopen safely, today at 6:30 PM. The panel will be livestreamed here. You will also be able to view a recording at that link. If you join live you will have the opportunity to drop a question into the live chat.
Market of Choice, Sundance workers protest racism
Workers at Market of Choice and Sundance, along with community support, protested together against the racial injustices at both businesses last Thursday. There were around 50 people in total out protesting.
The protest began at the Market of Choice off of Willamette street where people lined up on the sidewalk with signs. Workers at MoC formed a statewide coalition in late June against, citing the business not living up to its word in respect to Black lives matter. Workers came down all the way from Portland on Thursday to join workers at the protest in Eugene.
After about an hour of sign waving protesters marched to Sundance Natural Foods, where multiple former Sundance workers spoke up about the injustices at the store. Chakkrapun Srikuttamart kicked off the speeches. He worked there for 3.5 years, but recently quit after his colleague Zay was fired. Srikuttamart spoke about how Zay brought forward racist aggressions he faced to management and was retaliated against for bringing them up.
Srikuttamart elaborated how the issues run deep at Sundance. He spoke to a culture of Black and indigenous appropriation at the store. Additionally workers are required to bring any complaints they have directly to their boss, as there is no HR.
The issues at MoC and Sundance were tied together as not just two grocers with racial injustice issues, but also both being so called whole or natural food stores. Often associated as social justice oriented, exposed as not so.
Local Links
Christine Lundberg stepped down as Mayor of Springfield unexpectedly on Saturday. It is up to the Springfield City Council to appoint a replacement. The next election for Mayor won’t be until 2022.
Local government and nonprofits to move towards using Homeless By-Name List to track homelessness in area.
Cancelling the Pac-12 football season was about stopping collective organizing of players, not about safety, posits writers in article for The Guardian.
The week ahead
Tuesday, 6:30 PM — On safely reopening the University of Oregon: a community panel
Thursday, 3 PM — CLDC: Activists and tribal sovereignty
find more events at solidarity.page