Chicago restaurant joins ‘sanctuary restaurant' movement

(Honey Butter Fried Chicken/Facebook)

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Honey Butter Fried Chicken has joined the sanctuary restaurant movement focused on stopping discrimination and hate in the restaurant industry.

Dozens of restaurants have joined the movement promising to uphold a zero tolerance policy for racism, sexism and xenophobia, according to a statement from Presente.org. Sanctuary restaurants offer support and resources to restaurant workers who may experience harassment.

The movement is a joint project initiated by ROC United and Presente.org with participation by COLORS Restaurants.

“The stakes have never been higher and whenever others normalize white supremacy and hate, we will organ and resist,” Matt Nelson, Executive Director of Presente.org said.

Restaurants that join the project will also be able to participate in a network to discuss ideas for protecting targeted workers, such as immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ people and others.

“While the restaurant industry suffers from labor shortage, anti-immigrant and sexist rhetoric is now commonplace. Sanctuary Restaurants seeks to create the world we want, establishments free from hate and discrimination, where everyone has a seat at the table,” said ROC United Co-founder and Co-director Saru Jayaraman.