Black Lives Matter.

[Illustration Courtesy of Aya Mobaydeen.]

Dear Sitti community,

Black lives matter. 

Sitti stands with the black community and with all those who are confronting systemic racism.

It is important that we be the change we wish to see in the world. Each and every one of us.

We are committed to showing up and doing the work for social justice, diversity, and inclusion in our global community - from North America to the Middle East - now and in the long term.

And we hope you, our community reading this letter, will join us.

As a social enterprise, we commit to:

 1. Amplifying the Voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in our Communities. We welcome and encourage diverse perspectives to better inform our approach to creating a more inclusive business culture and brand experience.  

• As a women’s business enterprise (WBE), we hold ourselves accountable for supporting Black voices in the women-owned business community. Now and moving forward, we will seek out opportunities to partner and collaborate with more diverse businesses, business owners, and those enacting inclusionary policies and procedures.   
• In building our new employee handbook, we are thoughtfully assessing our Non-Exclusionary and Nondiscrimination Policies to ensure we are cultivating a culture of respect and inclusivity, guaranteed for all of our employees and community members. These policies and procedures will be revisited and reassessed on a regular basis. 
• We are examining improved methods of engagement with our community to ensure that our employment opportunities and skills development training are accessible to all who are interested to apply and participate. 

• We are regularly assessing program accessibility and inclusivity to ensure that improvements are made with input from a socio-economically and racially diverse range of community members where we operate in Jordan’s Jerash Refugee Camp.
• In serving our beneficiary programs, we seek out volunteers and interns who can contribute rich and diverse talents and perspectives as they continue to learn and grow in their supportive roles. 

• We will work to identify and partner with businesses and non-profit organizations that are supporting and advocating for marginalized and racially discriminated refugee communities, both in Jordan and abroad. 

This is just the beginning. We would like to invite you, our community, to join the conversation with us, to share resources and knowledge, and hold each other accountable for following up on social media and newsletter statements with MEANINGFUL ACTIONS. Please email us at: help@sittisoap.com if you would like to work with us in the above-mentioned commitments. We welcome your feedback, support and participation. 

Thank you, and we look forward to building a more just world together.