Cox Farms

I am fascinated by a thread I recently saw. Cox Farms, a local family business in Centreville, VA (close to my hometown, and a business we have patronized in the past) recently posted on their business sign, "Resist White Supremacy". On their facebook page, along with a photo of the sign, they posted this (view the original and thread here):

Our little roadside signs have power. Most of the time, they let folks know that our hanging baskets are on sale, that today’s sweet corn is the best ever, that Santa will be at the market this weekend, or that the Fall Festival will be closed due to rain. During the off-season, sometimes we utilize them differently. Sometimes, we try to offer a smile on a daily commute. Sometimes, a message of support and inclusion to a community that is struggling makes someone’s day. Sometimes the messages on our signs make people think… and sometimes, they make some people angry.

Last week, some of our customers and neighbors asked us to clarify the sentiment behind our sign that said “Rise & Resist.” So, we changed it to read “Rise Up Against Injustice” and “Resist White Supremacy.” We sincerely believe that fighting injustice and white supremacy is a responsibility that can- and should- unite us all. We struggle to see how anyone other than self-identified white supremacists would take this as a personal attack. 

Some have asked why we feel called to have such a message on our signs at all. Here is why:

Cox Farms is a small family-owned and family-operated business. The five of us are not just business-owners; we are human beings, members of the community, and concerned citizens of this country. We are also a family, and our shared values and principles are central to our business.

We’re not seeking to alienate folks who have different perspectives on tax reform or infrastructure spending. But when it comes to speaking out against systems of oppression and injustice, we see it as our moral responsibility to use our position of privilege and power, along with the tools of our trade and the platforms available to us, to engage visibly and actively in the fight for justice. Our roadside sign messages are one small way we do this. 

Some folks have expressed that they would prefer not to know where we stand. We appreciate that being an informed consumer can sometimes be exhausting, disappointing, and frustrating. It can involve making hard choices about values and priorities. We respect that some have decided to no longer patronize our business as a result. We also know that there are some who may see our signs, roll their eyes, and still choose to come back for the kettle corn. We get it.

Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” We consider the present state of our country to be far beyond partisan bickering or politics as usual. We see our nation in crisis, and peoples’ lives and safety and humanity are hanging in the balance. We are gravely concerned about the hateful words, destructive actions, and detrimental policies coming from this administration. We are not neutral, and we will not feign neutrality to appease our customers. We are committed to speaking out for love and justice, even if it costs us some business.

Almost twenty years ago, some visitors started a boycott because we fly rainbow flags over our hay tunnel, and they were concerned that Cox Farms was “promoting the homosexual agenda.” A few years ago, some folks got very angry about the Black Lives Matter sign hanging in a window of an owner’s home on the farm. Last year, some locals took offense at our “We love our Muslim neighbors” and “Immigrants make America great!” sign messages. What do all of the messages have in common? They are statements of inclusion. They attempt to tell members of our community, people that might feel discriminated against or alienated in a particular moment, “Hey, you are welcome here, too.” To our customers and neighbors that feel that this is somehow a divisive stance, we ask you to reflect on the possibility that your lived experience may be one that hasn’t necessitated a message of inclusion to make you feel welcome.

We’re not strangers to controversy or hard conversations. When we take a stand, we do so knowing that it could hurt our bottom line, and we are comfortable taking that risk. As a family, we know that when you’re on the right side of history, love wins. Right now, it means that some people in our community no longer feel comfortable supporting our business, and we respect that. While our intention was not to make anyone feel unwelcome, we certainly respect every consumer’s right to decide which businesses to support in our community.

The post has since (as of this writing, at least) been shared over 12,000 times, liked/reacted to 37,000 times, and commented on over 5,000 times. The comments span all different reactions, from support to anger. Some people have decided they will now boycott the business, while others have decided they go out of their way to support it. Some people are upset because they claim that the business is showing political affiliation or too much political correctness or even divisiveness, while others praise the inclusivity of this and other past posts. Probably every American who reads several of the comments will find some with which they agree, and some with which they are disgusted.

This is not the first business to advertise the personal political leanings of its owners. Chic-Fil-A is known for being a business owned by very religious people, and they sometimes make company-wde decisions based on this. Lots of large companies lobby the federal government in the US based on their interests, on both sides of the aisle. Here in Australia, Several businesses here in the Sydney area showed their support for the "Yes" same-sex marriage campaign, with signs and rainbow flags.

What I find so fascinating about this Cox Farms post, is that 15 or more years ago, "Resist White Supremacy" would not have been a particularly controversial thing to say. It has become a politically-charged thing to say. Cox Farms posted this completely acknowledging that they knew it would alienate some, and they were satisfied with this business decision.

Personally, I happen to agree with the post and have no problem with anything they have said or done. It's no different to what many other businesses do, if only perhaps more overt, and if some people don't like it, they don't have to give their money to the business.The widely varied reaction is just so indicative of where the US has gone as a fractured society in recent years, and it's kind of sad. Everything has gotten so warped that there are people who probably otherwise would seem quite moderate, and they find themselves somehow going against the concept being against white supremacy, and in doing so, aligning themselves with the white supremacists. These people are essentially sticking up for white supremacy in their arguments, and yet they claim they are not racist. And then, those people are getting very sensitive about being then called racists. There are people who feel like they are somehow being personally and/or politically attacked by words on a sign or in a Facebook post, even though there is nothing individualized about it.The whole thing is bizarre to me.

When I was a kid, pumpkins and cider had nothing to do with politics, and Virginia was for lovers. These days, taking a family trip down to the pumpkin patch (or not) is a political action, and Virginia is full of lovers, haters, and everything in between.