Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe posted an apology statement on Instagram addressing its owner’s previous statements on Black Lives Matter protests.
Jennifer Fullarton, owner of Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe, apologized for her response to Atticboiz, an anonymous Instagram meme account owner. In the statement, Fullarton wrote that she believes Black lives matter and that there are racial injustices in America everyday.
Some commenters on Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe’s previous Instagram post said they thought that Fullarton’s lack of support for Black Lives Matter was based on the organization’s inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community.
Fullarton wrote Black Lives Matter’s inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community was not of concern, rather an aspect of its “What We Believe” statement.
“[I have an issue with] the organization’s goal to nullify the two-parent family ― something that, based on experience, the testimonies of others and statistics, I believe to be a detriment to all communities,” Fullarton wrote.
Family units that do not align with the two-parent family model include households of divorced and single parents.
However, the statement Fullarton referred to from Black Lives Matter does not explicitly state that the organization disagrees with the traditional two-parent family unit. Rather, Black Lives Matter wrote that the organization encourages a family unit built upon foundations of community and commitment to one another.
“We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable,” the statement on Black Lives Matter’s website read.
Members of the San Luis Obispo community have responded to Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe’s statement on social media. The Instagram post currently has more than 780 comments, and the number is growing.
Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe’s disabled the comments on all other Instagram posts. This includes the post where community members first commented about Fullarton’s previous statement that Atticboiz shared.
“I know so many amazing [people] who were raised in single-parent homes,” one Instagram user commented. “Have you [considered] why it might not be an ideal situation for both parents to say living in the same household?”
Fullarton supports action to resolve challenges that Black Americans face, she wrote in the Instagram statement. This includes peacefully protesting, seeking education and dedicating personal resources.
“I am here to say that [B]lack lives absolutely matter,” Fullarton wrote. “I support both our [F]irst [A]mendment rights in general, and especially support the protests for justice.”
Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe both celebrates and encourages diverse ethnicities and cultures, Fullarton wrote.
“We have always desired all walks of life to be able to come together ‘to break bread,’” Fullarton wrote.
Fullarton added that she is committed to have a diverse staff and that Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe is a safe place for minorities to both work and dine at.
“We will keep striving to bring all people together over food and shared community,” Fullarton wrote. “Our hearts go out to SLO and our country right now.”
However, community members continue to call for a boycott of the restaurant. Regardless, Black Lives Matter is a human rights movement, commenters wrote.
Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe posted to their Instagram story that further addresses Fullarton’s previous statement on two-parent families.
“I want to be clear that I am not against single parenting,” Fullarton wrote. “There are so many brave and hardworking single parents who raise amazing children, many of whom I know personally and respect immensely.”
Fullarton wrote that she does not have an issue with the LGBTQ+ community.
“I, again, am friends and family to many in this community and it does not change my love for them in the slightest,” Fullarton wrote. “Loving thy neighbor is something the cafe has always stood by, and somebody’s race, gender, sex, or class does not change the way they are cared for and treated by me.”
Both statements from Fullarton can be found on the Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe’s Instagram page.