Learning & Listening

Since our founding, Reverie has made intentional decisions regarding how we navigate our business within the coffee industry. We recognize that the value chain in all coffee starts with people of color across the world, while the specialty coffee business ends with predominately white customers. We have been aware of the inequities in our industry and the parallels between what people of color in the United States experience and what occurs throughout the world. We admit that in our business we have been more focused on the global issue instead of scrutinizing what is happening in our own community. We acknowledge we have not done enough to help shape our community into the one that is equitable and safe for everyone, especially those most affected by white supremacy and all its manifestations.

Through recent conversations within the company and community, our inaction became abundantly clear. As a company, we cannot succeed if we do not raise our community up with us. If it seems we have been quiet since the police brutality in Minneapolis catapulted the Black Lives Matter movement back to the center of our national dialogue a few weeks ago, it is because we have been listening and having hard conversations with our team and community leaders. We consciously waited to respond because, quite frankly, what can we say? We know there still is not a single sentence that can erase our past or excuse our silence. There is both too much and too little to say. However, saying nothing is not an option.

We stand firmly in saying Black Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter. Black Futures Matter. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. We stand in solidarity with everyone around the world fighting back against generations of bigotry, colonization, exploitation, injustice, genocide, and the systematic oppression of Black people.

Reverie is not just a coffee shop, it is a place for community, it is a place where conversations are shared, and, for many, it is a home away from home. Everyone living in our community deserves to feel safe and respected. Everyone deserves to be heard, seen, and afforded the chance to contribute and thrive. We believe in the power of diverse people and ideas; and we want to be sure that we do not forget the challenges faced by people of color locally or globally. We believe at the core of any strong community is the willingness to listen and learn. We must make Wichita a place for everyone to succeed. We believe communities bloom in the presence of opportunity.

Undoubtedly, Reverie must do better. As we continue to rebuild our business through the pitfalls of COVID-19, we will be incorporating a new vision for how we consciously build a community that is intentional, inclusive, and safe. Our café has always been a place for wide ranging conversations; we intend to build on that tradition. We have hopeful plans of bringing as many voices to the table as possible. We plan to open ourselves up to the community and to the neighborhood we reside in. So, while we are not sure exactly where we are going, our course is changing. We want each of you to be a part of what is coming next.

Please, come to our table and let us hear your voice. We are listening and will not rest until our community is whole.

Best to you all
Andrew Gough

Image by Black Lives Matter.