To Our Community,

We hope your Spring is filled with good health and togetherness.

There has been a growing number of anti-Asian hate crimes since the start of the pandemic. Veritable Vegetable denounces these violent acts and stands firmly against such injustices. Racialized and gendered violence must stop.

We are horrified by the staggering reports—over 3,800 reported incidents, since March 2020, and we know there are many more unreported cases of abuse and violence. More recently, these anti-Asian attacks have been directed at elderly Asian Americans and women. Just a couple of weeks ago, eight lives were lost in a horrific violent shooting in Atlanta, Georgia. Six of the victims were Asian American women.

Asian Americans have played an immense, invaluable role as pioneers, farmers, and early builders of the North American food system. Unfortunately, xenophobic rhetoric against Asian people is not new. Racial justice and gender equity activists are demanding justice for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community (AAPI). We join them as allies and ask your help to elevate our voices and awareness; we must bring visibility to systemic issues and ignored history.

We hope that you will share resources show your support, and stand up against anti-Asian racism in your workplace, home and communities:

• Anti-Asian Violence Resources
• Stop AAPI Hate
• AAPI Women Lead
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice
• Hollaback! Bystander Intervention Training

As a company, we are committed to find ways we can best support all AAPI people during this turbulent time; we can start by educating ourselves and our staff. We will be offering paid time for our staff to attend Bystander Intervention Training as well as contributing monetary donations to Hollaback! and Asian Americans Advancing Justice so they can continue to expand these trainings and keep them free. We are also exploring partnerships with local organizations.

We stand in solidarity with our AAPI community as we work toward a more just and inclusive society.

Forward together,

Mary Jane Evans, CEO

Bu Nygrens, Director of Purchasing

Karen Salinger, Director of Sales

The most violent element in society is ignorance.
–Emma Goldman

It’s not enough to be compassionate. You must act.
–Dalai Lama

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.
–Yoko Ono