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Community Alert!
Quezeann Williams is a young black community member who was recently coerced into leaving her job at the 5th Street Station Panera Bread.
Quezeann Williams is a young black community member who was recently coerced into leaving her job at the 5th Street Station Panera Bread.
She is a 2020 graduate of Charlottesville High School and had been working at Panera since last summer to save up money for college this fall.
Last Friday, Quezeann was reprimanded by her manager for wearing and distributing Black Lives Matter pins at work.
Last Friday, Quezeann was reprimanded by her manager for wearing and distributing Black Lives Matter pins at work.
She had been led to believe that these actions would be supported by Panera Bread management because of a recently released statement by the corporation's CEO affirming the Black Lives Matter movement.
Please read her personal statement below and spread the word about her mistreatment at the hands of her management team. Then give generously to our fundraiser to help her make up for lost wages while she continues to try to find new employment!
Let's help Quezeann's college dreams come true while we hold her former employer accountable for their hypocrisy!
Statement from Quezean Williams:
“I didn’t really say much [on Friday] because when things like this happen I just don’t feel the need to speak very much they day of as I need to rest and collect my thoughts.
“I didn’t really say much [on Friday] because when things like this happen I just don’t feel the need to speak very much they day of as I need to rest and collect my thoughts.
... I ordered [some Black Lives Matter] pins last week and they came in the mail Wednesday June 24th..I wore the pins on Thursday June 25th as a few of my co-workers had asked me if they could have one, I said sure and even others asked me to order some more for them.
Friday June 26th it’s bought to our attention (one day after wearing the pins) in a conference call that across all the Paneras in the franchise I work in are wearing them and that customers are complaining and so are some co-workers. The logic just seems so off to me..
... I know there’s something that’s not being said. We wore our pins for literally one shift 6am-2pm and the next day we come back finding out there was a conference call about the pins with the higher up people. It just doesn’t make sense..
... feel as if someone complained and that was the results. I feel as if the higher up people..if they had an issue they should come to us associates versus going through our managers making them feel like their jobs are on the line if they don’t do as they’re told.
My human rights were compared to politics..my pin was compared to a Trump pin or a Biden pin. I was told it was political I said it’s not political because it’s NOT. “What about freedom of speech?” was asked of the manager who delivered the message to us and...
... they still compared it to political use...The first amendment has to do with freedom of speech..my pin is my peaceful protest. I’ve had customers throw food at me. I’ve had customers talk to me any type of way just because I’m black.
I’ve seen my black co-workers get talked to any type of way but as soon as any white employee comes in the tone of the customer changes. Panera serves rude, entitled and racist customers daily.. I don’t care because nobody simple minded will EVER ruin my day.
Moral of this all was either the pins get taken off or you go home/get sent home or if we have the pins and the higher ups see them our managers will get the backlash. So I took my apron off & gathered my stuff, clocked out, had a panic attack, chilled for a few and went home.
I will not be returning and it’s sad because the only reason I worked so much was to keep my money up for college but I won’t work somewhere that doesn’t support me as a young black woman or what I believe in.
Only one of my managers sat down and talked to me face to face and made sure I was ok. One didn’t check on me at all. The other called me, I declined..then texted me. Do I feel like not enough was done to protect the 13/26 black employees... no I don’t feel like enough was done.
Are my feelings hurt? Yeah my feelings are hurt. The ceo of Panera issued this statement and we had no idea about such because it’s a lack of communication.
I’m going to highlight some parts that stood out to me
• “At Panera, we WILL continue to learn and grow as we take active steps to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion. “
• “At Panera, we WILL continue to learn and grow as we take active steps to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion. “
• “Support and enable our internal Networking Groups, providing resources and the forum to educate, connect and lead the dialogue as a Panera Family.”
• “We need to be part of the change and healing this country needs.”
• “We need to be part of the change and healing this country needs.”
•”Every single day in every single moment, if each of us recommits to celebrating diversity and respect in our own lives, we can and will make a difference in Panera and our country.”
The CEO shared those words in public. We’ve been told they support it but they want none of “that” (referring to our BLM pins) in their cafes. Is that support? No that’s tolerance. It all just doesn’t add up or look correct.” - Queanne Williams
Please support Quezeann Williams
https://paypal.me/pools/c/8quxw67zHk
Panera Bread’s CEO’s full statement can be read here:
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/company/diversity-and-inclusion.html
@panerabread @askpanera
https://paypal.me/pools/c/8quxw67zHk
Panera Bread’s CEO’s full statement can be read here:
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/company/diversity-and-inclusion.html
@panerabread @askpanera
