06/06/2020
A Statement from JW Landscapes LLC
6 June 2020 - 76th anniversary of D-Day,
a touchstone in the fight against racism
TO: the JWL Family of Clients, Employees,
Co-Workers, and Suppliers
FROM: John West and David White, Co-Owners
A huge part of what we do is the nurturing of life and beauty in the world. There has been no shortage of voices in the chorus. And we here at JW Landscapes want to add ours.
We are a small business with a big heart and here we recommit to honoring the values which guide us in our everyday activities. Cultivating a community is no different than cultivating a landscape. Nurture is what matters, across the board.
FIRST, we unequivocally, loudly, vehemently, and universally condemn all forms of racist thought and action, from the deliberate and reprehensible to the unconscious but insidious. To us, there is no distinction.
SECOND, we are disgusted, horrified, and enraged by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery as well as by the race-driven deaths of countless other Black men and women and other people of color in the United States. And while we are heartened by the scenes of people voicing protest, and by the flood of public messages from both individuals and organizations, we are equally disheartened that it takes a string of tragedies, ON THE HEELS OF CENTURIES OF INJUSTICE, to spur any appropriate action on racism in America. We believe what matters is what we do when events like these are NOT front and center, and when the cameras are not on us.
THIRD, we recognize that our record is not perfect. We recognize that choices we make every day in our operations — where and with whom we choose to advertise, whom we choose as suppliers or vendors, among others — matter. They are each an opportunity to demonstrate our values, and we may have not always gotten it right. That changes now.
JWL understands its responsibility to take action, and we will be part of the change. The everyday change. The change that will begin immediately and continue relentlessly.
Here's where we're starting:
– We will be conducting an audit of our relationships with suppliers, vendors and business partners to ensure that we are not doing business with anyone who falls on the wrong side of this issue. We will investigate how we can become involved in community gardens to aid in solving food deserts in areas of our City where the need is greatest.
– We believe in and have always had a diverse crew/staff and we recommit to diversity that is inclusive and empowering. Systemic injustice against anyone is injustice against everyone. As a gay-owned and operated business in our 22nd year, we recognize that we, today, stand on the shoulders of activists and allies who stood up for us, both known and unknown to us.
– Action matters and conversation matters, but financial support matters, as well. The Sunshine Fund, a donor-advised fund founded in 2019 by one of JWL’s owners, announces grants to Black Lives Matter, The Equal Justice Initiative, and The George Floyd Memorial Fund. Additionally we will be setting up a program by which every dollar that our employees collectively donate to these causes, JWL’s ownership team will personally match those dollars, up to $25,000.
As we continue these initiatives, we stand in solidarity with those impacted by systemic racism and violence, and those fighting against it.
We hear you, we see you, we honor you, we love you, and we are with you.
John West and David White
Co-Owners and Founders
JW LANDSCAPES LLC
