Buckhead’s Peachtree Road Farmers Market has joined many local organizations in issuing a statement saying “black lives matter” and declaring opposition to racism.
“Our purpose as a farmers market is inextricably tied to issues of social justice, including and especially racial justice,” said Nancy Qarmout, the market’s executive director, in a June 7 email to supporters. “We, too, commit to fighting the systemic oppression of black people in this country.”
The email referenced a similar statement from the Farmers Market Coalition, a national trade organization.
The market operates at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip at 2744 Peachtree Road and is affiliated with it. The market’s email also directed readers to a May 30 statement from Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, who condemned violence and praised protesters.
“No, as followers of Christ, we do not condone violence,” Curry said in the statement. “Neither do we condone our nation’s collective, complicit silence in the face of injustice and violent death.”