Chick-Fil-A made waves at UIC when they opened their doors in 2017. Many students enjoy their food and the convenience it serves on campus at Student Center East. Given the recent movements across the country and world supporting #BlackLivesMatter, this petition is to show that the community believes that Chick-Fil-A should not provide their services at UIC anymore.

Recently, Chuck-Fil-A announced to their employees that if they publicly support the #BlackLivesMatter movement, they should not claim affiliation to the company according to a leaked internal email. The company believes that declaring “Black Lives Matter” would hurt the company’s image. Many believe that the movement reflects a black-and-white issue regarding racial disparities in the US. There is only a right and wrong side to history. Chick-Fil-A is choosing the wrong side. This is offensive to everyone, especially the Black community which includes the employees who work there and students at UIC. This petition is to demand that UIC end their partnership with Chick-Fil-A immediately.

We would also like to bring attention to the fact that Chick-Fil-A has a tradition of donating to anti-LGBTQ+ causes. Even though the company vowed to divest their money into more wholesome causes starting this year, the CEO said himself that this action was made in part due to being held accountable for their previous queer-phobic actions. We feel that while UIC openly acknowledges its large LGBTQ+ student, staff, and faculty populations, this restaurant’s existence on campus negates the university’s support for such populations as well as everyone’s student experience.

Referring back to President Tim Killeen’s words not too long ago, we must “make this outrageous act of aggression a pivotal point in history that begins to reverse generations of systemic racism and discrimination. Let it start here and let it start now.” If President Tim Killeen and the UIC Administration mean their word to work and commit to inclusion and justice in order to create a better future for all, a way to start is to break partnerships of organizations like Chick-Fil-A that undermine their students.