We have learned in the past two years, now entering the third, that not speaking on an issue you do have feelings for can lead to harm, or pigeon-hole you or your business into a group you did not intend to be a part of, because others made assumptions based on the neutral stance.
What happens when simply existing is an open show of resistance and speaking truth? Local business owner and restaurateur, Kamel Jamal of Beacon, NY, runs such a business. A Palestinian refugee, he was born in Palestine and left with his parents and some siblings when he was a toddler. Passionate about his home country, he cannot not speak about Palestine. One of his restaurants, Ziatun, is his self-declared happy place, and has Palestinian love decorating their entire small and cozy eatery.
Like many restaurants in his small town, he showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement when citizens were marching down his Main Street in the summer of 2021. “Free Palestine” signage is in the window and on different artwork, and he has designed merchandise to subtly promote the message.
At times, he’ll hear from a customer who is against the Free Palestine concept, and won’t set foot into the restaurant. Everyone else is coming into the restaurant, enjoying the flavors, vibe, and Kamel hopes, getting more awareness about the people of Palestine who live under occupation.
Putting our podcasting hats on, Brandon Lillard and I (Katie) interviewed Kamel to learn more deeply about his opinions on the occupation and Palestinian people on our locally-based podcast, Wait, What Is That? after the May 2021 escalation resulting from a Palestinian neighborhood protest over more homes being demolished.
Without hesitation, he said yes. He remained careful in choosing his words, yet unable to contain his emotion at times, especially when speaking about when others in the know remain silent for a myriad of their own reasons.
Listen to the podcast here, produced by Tin Shingle and A Little Beacon Blog.
Stand For Something, Or Stand For Nothing
A friend and community advocate, Ali Tawfiq Muhammad of Beacon and Newburgh, New York, put this statement as his email signature: “Stand for something, or fall for anything.” In this day in age, with a global human rights reckoning going on, the statement resonates. To give no indication of where one stands, or what one stands for, can be damaging to a brand.
Here are concepts to consider when putting out commentary on world or local developments on your business or personal social media:
Alienation: While some might fear alienation of customers or friends if the business puts out a signal in a direction of support for something, a business or individual risks then being assigned incorrectly by others if nothing is said or acknowledged at all.
Self-Identify Before Identity Is Assigned To You: If your brand or your person says or shows nothing for a big deal that is going on around you, then others can make assumptions incorrectly about where you stand. You might say: “People shouldn’t assume!” But they do :) Make it clear.
Hope: By speaking your truth on the subject, as a business or your person, you are giving another group of people hope (as opposed to a smaller group you might be alienating)
Helps People Be Seen: One of the best feelings ever. A marginalized group may be used to not be seen or believed. Your support could do a lot of good for someone’s mental health.
Fear: “But I’ll lose clients!”: You might. But you’ll gain a lot more. Tin Shingle always took an open stance on positions, but in the last two years, the subject matter shifted and got steeper. Still climbing and speaking, I have heard from people who are silent on the sidelines, but say: “Thank you for speaking on / pursuing XYZ. I cannot, because I have clients who are ABC.” And this, from people who are vocal about one topic, but silent on another.
Piggy Back On The Media
Not sure when to publish or pursue something? If you see it anywhere in the media, that can be your chance. It’s a “short lead” approach, where you are angling for a spin-off story, but relevancy is created. You can even pitch reporters with something your business did that has to do with what they covered, in a “no ask” pitch, where you are simply getting something on their radar.
In our case, Vanity Fair published a story, “Generation Gaza” by veteran war reporter Janine di Giovanni, in their February 2022 issue. This created relevance for our podcast episode to be circulated.
Subtle Ways To Speak Your Truth To Help Define Your Brand
This article was published when Putin attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting a war. This article was intended to be published last week, but like with all things, got pushed to today. Before we knew that Putin would actually put into action what he had been threatening. If you’ve been speaking your truth in business, then continuing to do so will flow as defining moments happen overnight to present in the morning.
If speaking your business truth isn’t something you normally show, but want to start incorporating, there are subtle ways to do it. For example:
Food: Any food business can highlight a dish or ingredient they sell that pays homage to whatever is going on.
Retail: Colors or types of products can be showcased this day, with a verbal acknowledgement in some way.
Insurance: Messages of how to prepare for uncertainty, with a verbal, empathetic acknowledgement to what is happening.
Authors: Highlighting another author’s book who is from a region or community that is in the news right now.
Who are you? Join Tin Shingle for direct access on getting advice on how to show a message in a subtle or strong way in your branding.
Podcast Episodes & Services
Tin Shingle offers podcast production services which you can learn about here. We can produce your podcast with you from afar, or if you’re local in Beacon, then in person. Prices are changing, with everything that’s going on (inflation!) so lock it in how with a package.