July 10, 2020, 12:24pm
The owners of Greenlight Bookstore, which has two Brooklyn locations, came forward this week to take responsibility for “negative experiences of Black customers and employees in our stores” with a commitment to improving.
In an open letter published Wednesday, co-owners Rebecca Fitting and Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo acknowledged that Black customers and employees have felt unwelcome and disrespected, that poor training had led to racial profiling in their stores, and that the company had not succeeded in creating an anti-racist space.
The letter outlined a plan for addressing these issues that included mandatory anti-bias training for employees, implementing more anti-racist policies in future staff training, and reviewing hiring practices to better address diversity and inclusion. The open letter also committed to educating employees about the effects of gentrification on the neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Prospect Lefferts Gardens, where stores are located, and to engaging “in conversations about gentrification with our neighbors non-defensively.”
[h/t Publishers Weekly]