BLACK. LIVES. MATTER.

To our Kachka patrons, employees and vendors,

Bonnie's parents left everything they knew and started over in America because of the pervasive and systemic antisemitism that existed in the Soviet Union. A generation before that, her grandmother narrowly escaped a ghetto and bravely fought as a partisan to extinguish the Nazi regime. Israel is half Mexican and was taught, from a young age, that his place was mowing lawns and painting houses. Collectively, we've always felt that we understood and empathized with the plight of the black person in America because of our own experiences with discrimination and racism -- that just being on the right side of things was enough. The thing is, it isn't enough.

We, like many of you, came of age long after the civil rights movement -- Gen X cynics to the bone. Atrocity after atrocity has filled us with a numbing apathy. This moment is a true wake up call. The energizing protests of the last couple weeks are moving mountains. Thank you to all of the heroic people leading the charge. America will be a better place because of you. We are proud to even bear witness to this moment.

We've spent this time listening, absorbing, reflecting. Wondering what our role is in all of this. How can we stop being complicit and start being allies? We don't have all the answers and this is more of the beginning of a conversation rather than an edict, but here is what we are committing to:

  1. Creating a dialogue with our team. We have created an internal channel for the sharing and exchange of information about how to be better allies in the Black Lives Matter movement. 

  2. Creating a dialogue with our supporters. We want all of you to feel good about how we behave as a company. This is an open invitation to help us be better. We are here and ready to listen to constructive imput. 

  3. A zero-tolerance policy for racist rhetoric. This has always been true, but moving forward, our staff will feel empowered to speak up if they witness this. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who uses hate speech or makes racist jokes in our dining room.

  4. A commitment to supporting BIPOC organizations and initiatives now and on an ongoing basis. 

  5. Expanding our participation in work training programs with marginalized communities.

We thank you for your patience while we learn how to be a part of the solution. 

With love,

Bonnie & Israel Morales