Last week I was oppressed by my mother for standing up for what's right. I have always been the black sheep of my family. As a woman in my family, we are not given the same opportunities as the men. To them, we are not good enough, our voice doesn't matter, our opinions are wrong, and we are told we should inherit their belief systems or else we will be punished for it. This is exactly what happened when I posted a Justice for George sign in the window of my small business. My mother is my business partner although she claims to have given me the business. Now, she wants to sell it to a random stranger because I refuse to inherit her belief system. We are completely opposite people, which is why I told her from the get I did not want her involved. I wanted the same opportunity to buy the business like my brothers had. Her beliefs deflect mine and my vision for my company. She refuses to relinquish control and let me have my own voice. I refuse to be a part of a company that supports passive racism which is what she wants me to do. MY company, the company I started, is anti-racist. When I started this company, I had a vision for it to be a representation of me. I am a very welcoming, open-minded, and loving individual. My restaurant is located in a predominately white racist community. I want black people to know that they are invited, safe, supported, and welcomed at my restaurant. I REFUSE TO BE SILENCED. My voice matters. My opinion matters. I am good enough. In fact, I am a great business owner. My employees and customers will tell you that. I am allowed to do things differently. I am allowed to be different than the rest of my family and still supported. This is the message I want to give to others. I am loved in my community for WHO I AM. People come to MY restaurant to SUPPORT ME. I only wish to be given the same opportunities my brothers were given to take over the restaurant and call it my own.

BACK STORY: As many of you know, our gyro shop has been a staple in Peters Township since it opened over a decade ago! Since then it has gone through many changes. My parents offered the opportunity for my brothers to buy the restaurant in 2015, while I was still away at college. They only lasted 2 years before backing out and handing the restaurant back to my mother. I was in Los Angeles doing an internship at a recording studio at this time and I decided if I was going to be in any position at the studio, I would want to be the studio owner. My mother was thinking about selling the restaurant and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to learn how to be a business owner so I asked for the same opportunity my brothers were given to buy the restaurant. She did not want to give me this same opportunity they had. After fighting with her for weeks on end, she finally decided to let me in on the business. I rebranded the business, created a new name, and created the logo all on my own. She didn't add me on as a partner until 4 months after I did all of this. It has been 2 years of me running the business as if it were my own and I still haven't been given the same opportunity my brothers had to buy the business. Not to mention, I spent the last year of my life pursuing my Masters degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship with a focus on creating my business model for this business specifically. Those who know me know that business is my passion. My dream is to be a serial entrepreneur. If my mother chooses to sell the business to me, it will open up the capital for me to use to hire a store manager and then I can go on to pursue my next business venture. I have done my research enough to know that food is a very stable business to have. I don't ever plan on giving up on this restaurant. I do however plan on passing it down to my children should they want it. I have given my heart and soul to this business these past two years. I am only asking to have the same opportunity my brothers were given. My mother still doesn't want to give me this opportunity. I won't give up this fight. I was told I wasn't allowed back at the business after posting a Justice for George sign in the window. I shouldn't have to tell you why this is wrong. I miss my customers, I miss stinking like a gyro, and I miss having a platform to create change in my community. Please sign this petition so that I can be given the same opportunity the men in my family have been given.