Viewpoint BY STACIE LEE BANKS, AAF ON A YEAR OF TRANSFORMATION


THE FLORAL BUSINESS AUTHORITY JULY/AUGUST 2020 | VOLUME 37 | NUMBER 4


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>Who would have thought that 2020 would bring us a global pandemic, shut- ting down business and essentially all aspects of “normal” life for more than three months? And as we carefully prepared for a slow return to normalcy, George Floyd was senselessly killed in police custody — sparking newfound awareness, protests about police bru- tality and systemic racism, and caus- ing businesses to make statements on where they stand with the African American community. On March 16, city officials man-


dated that our flower shop — a staple of historic U Street in Washington, D.C. — lock our doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our 75-year history, we’ve only closed our doors one other time: in April 1968, when riots erupted in DC, instigated by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (My dad, Rick Lee, and my grandma, Winnifred Lee, co-founder of Lee’s, had to spend the night in the shop and write “Soul Brother ‘’ on our store windows to discourage rioters from breaking them.) A mandate in 2020 to shut down


our business was surreal. My business partner and sister, Kristie, and I were uncertain of what the future would bring. Events and weddings were being canceled or postponed. We had to lay off 80 percent of our staff, only keeping our delivery drivers and the two of us on the payroll. Thanks in part to a PPP loan and local micro grant, eventually we brought back 95 percent of our staff and became busier than ever with online and phone orders and a strong Mother’s Day, despite being closed for walk-ins. Then, on May 25, George Floyd’s


death ignited a global reaction to the vast number of senseless killings that are racially motivated. Cities across the world saw peaceful, meaningful protests that lasted for days; unfortunately, some rioting and looting also occurred. In our city, many businesses and office build- ings were boarded up with plywood. Kristie and I made the decision not to do so. Instead, we displayed signs that read “100% Black Owned Business” and “Black Lives Matter.” We were inter- viewed by reporters with local ABC and


2 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/August 2020 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG


NBC affiliates, as well as Reuters. We boldly shared during each inter- view that we fully supported the peaceful protests to end racism and discrimination. These global


events and ensuing news coverage have garnered great compassion for our business. We have received calls from so many customers, of all races and ethnicities, who want to support our Black-owned business. One person sent us a $50 check with a memo line that read, “This is to end systemic racism.” That same week, a group of floral artists designed and installed a window art display for our shop in support of Black Lives Matter. A team of artists spray painted beautiful orange and yellow flowers on our windows and placed hundreds of different-colored origami figures stenciled out of the words “Black Lives Matter.” We are only halfway through 2020,


and it has been one of the most transfor- mative years of my life. Because of the pandemic, we have spent more quality time with our loved ones, and we’ve also been forced to slow down enough to pay more attention to the plight of George Floyd and others like him. For the first time, some of us are having tough, meaningful discussions with family and friends about health care, politics, and human rights. I hope those con- versations keep going, among families, businesses and in the floral industry. Because we have work to do in our spaces, too. I am fortunate to be living in these times and to be able to stand with positive global change agents and move- ments. I hope everyone reading this stands with me and with Lee’s Flowers, as we work toward creating safe, wel- coming and healthy communities.


Stacie Lee Banks, AAF, is the third- generation co-owner of Lee’s Flower and Card Shop in Washington, D.C. She and her sister, Kristie, were keynote speakers at SAF's Reinvention Summit.


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