As we search for glimmers of hope amidst the darkness, a welcome shift has begun in the ongoing campaign to achieve accountability and redress wrongs at the Port Townsend Food Co-op.

To refresh memories. In July, the Co-op Board abruptly removed Cameron Jones, a major player in Black Lives Matter / Well Organized of Jefferson County, from its ranks. The reason given was that Jones had violated the Co-op Board’s Code of Conduct which requires “civility” in all interactions. Ultimately, to ensure that no one feels offended or “violated,” the code requires aggrieved parties, including members of disenfranchised groups whose concerns have systematically been devalued or ignored, to express their grievances, frustrations, and anger in a manner that might be acceptable (to all but Maggie Smith’s characters) at an afternoon tea party.

Jones’ unanticipated behind-closed-doors removal precipitated the resignation of Juri Jennings, the Board’s only other Person of Color (POC) / Person of the Global Majority (PGM) member at the time. Because Jones and Jennings had been working for many months on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues at the Co-op, the Board’s action amounted to a major slap in the face.

Since then, BLM/WO has called for a boycott of the Co-op and submitted a list of demands. An ad hoc organization, It’s My Co-op Too (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566912508927), has formed to support the boycott and promote transformation of Co-op culture. Additionally, community members have attended the last three Co-op board meetings and voiced concerns.

Clearly, some people at the Co-op are listening. Take, for example, the multiple articles and personal testimonies in the Holiday 2024 issue of the Co-op’s quarterly newsletter that repeatedly affirm the Co-op’s commitment to diversity. Regardless, no amount of articles or after-the-fact initiatives can erase the harm caused by the board’s action. You cannot further diversity and inclusion by ejecting the messenger whose identity embodies the message. Talks between the Board (which has four new members), Co-op management, and Black Lives Matter/Well Organized should have begun months ago.

Finally, change is afoot. The source: Co-op Board President Owen Rowe, who up to now has taken a firm stance on the issue.

“I’ve been dismayed and frustrated by the conversations and the tone in the community,” Rowe told me. “That includes responses that I’ve given or things that have come from the Co-op with my name on them.

“I don’t speak as an official spokesman of the board or the Co-op when I say this. But I’ve been trying to listen to people in the community and figure out a way to stop being defensive or reactive, and to learn how we could be generative and help each other move forward, support each other, and thrive as a community.

“The national election absolutely brought home that we’re a community that cares about each other and needs to listen to and support each other. That includes within the board and between the board and community. We need to be accountable to our community and understand the impact of our words and actions.”

Rowe explained that he decided to hold the last Co-op Board meeting in public so that the board could share space with the community and allow everyone to see each other.

“The last meeting was a lot better than the previous couple,” he said. “I think everyone there recognized that a shift was on its way. I’ve also had a number of conversations with community activists and people who are concerned and want to help the Co-op be the best it can be. I know some people are still impatient with the speed of that shift. We’re trying to move as fast as we can.

“At this point, I expect that I personally, as an individual, will be meeting privately with some people from Black Lives Matter/Well Organized. I hope that will perhaps open the door to a conversation with the Board—one that could perhaps then be reported to or open to the public.

“I also need to see if the Board is interested in going in this direction. The Board is not a monolith. There’s a diversity of viewpoints.”

What the Co-op Board may eventually do, no one knows. As far as I understand, there is no existing policy that would prevent it from rescinding its decision and ultimately revamping its Code of Conduct.

To be continued after Thanksgiving. Thankfully.