The violence and discrimination faced by Black people in the United States follows a long and cruel tradition of injustice that predates the founding of this country. We unequivocally believe that Black Lives Matter and stand in solidarity with those protesting systemic racism and police brutality across the country and in Boston. As a team and family, we are committed to the life-long work of education and action required to stand in solidarity with People of Color, Black and Indigenous communities.

We have used recent weeks to listen and re-educate ourselves to create a more informed plan to implement the practice of racial equality into our business. In support of this goal, and in recognition that remaining silent and complacent is neither responsible nor in line with our values, we are making the following commitments:

First, we commit to the continued diversification of our partners, vendors, and leadership team. As a 4th generation family business, we are proud to work with many local companies, and we commit to creating more of these long-term partnerships with Black, Indigenous, and POC-owned businesses and vendors.

Second, we commit to financially supporting the long-term work of racial justice organizations. We will make donations of time and resources on an ongoing basis to support Black, Indigenous, and POC-led organizations, in addition to the like-minded non-profits in which we are already active.

Third, we commit to establishing a Diversity Team, comprised of associates representing all departments, which will lead our initiatives.

Fourth, we commit to creating partnerships with several Greater Boston schools in order to introduce Black, Indigenous, and POC students to the hospitality industry and offer career opportunities within our business.

Fifth, we commit to ensuring that all of our team members have the opportunity to vote and to support them in their efforts to do so. We believe that voting is a right, and we will do everything in our power to make this essential part of democracy fully accessible.

Sixth, we commit to our team and communities to listen, learn, train and re-train on racism and discrimination in the workplace and beyond.

We understand that these actions are only the beginning of our work, and we are committed to consistently listening and acting on our support for racial equality, now and for generations to come.