Sign to Support UC Berkeley’s Family-owned Black Business, Pinky&Red’s!!

Pinky&Red’s is a successful, family-owned, Black start-up in the heart of U.C. Berkeley’s campus. For generations dating back to the times of slavery, the family owners--now Sicily and Bernadine Sewell, a mother and daughter duo--have been cooking delicious Southern, all-american delicacies for the neighborhood, and now for the community of Cal.

But now, Pinky&Red’s is being threatened with eviction despite both a profitable enterprise and quickly, deeply imbedded roots in the Cal community. Agreements made without proper consultation with the business owners is now threatening the livelihood of not just a business, but of a family.

The decision to push P&R out of their lease is being propelled by the ASUC Student Union for a non-profit vendor, the Berkeley Student Food Collective (BSFC). Before P&R moved in, there were conversations about other kitchen spaces for BSFC to move in to, but those conversation were unfortunately unsuccessful. As ongoing negotiations continue, all attempts to collaborate between the Berkeley Student Food Collective and P&R have been squashed by the ASUC SU.

The ASUC Student Union has additionally tried to push P&R into verbal agreements without legal knowledge of the situation, has given mixed, changing messages to the owners since September, and has offered little to no certainty to a family that relies on that certainty in order survive and thrive.

With only 30 days notice to move out, the decision to expel P&R from the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union would be detrimental to the livelihood of a beloved family business and essential piece of Berkeley’s community. With all of the student workers in P&R being people of color, this attempted displacement serves as yet another disgusting instance of violence where POC lives are threatened simply for convenience.

We ask that you sign this petition in solidarity with one of the only Black businesses in Berkeley, Pinky&Red’s!!