Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On April 26th, something powerful happened in Evanston. At the boycott in front of Table To Stix, members of the community came together not just to protest, but to speak hard truths, to demand real justice, and to reject the performative gestures that too often replace it.Two courageous Asian speakers, Roy Zhu and Christine Escobar, stood up and spoke honestly about the anti-Blackness that exists within the Asian community, and even the racism between different Asian ethnic groups. Their words werenât divisive - they were necessary. This is what true allyship and cross-cultural accountability look like. Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors, President of the NAACP North Shore, stood at the mic and said the young manâs mother told him directly that she did not want the restaurant shut down. But whatâs important to note is this: in the letter she wrote, her tone was different. She clearly expressed a desire for justice and repair - not comfort, and certainly not closure without accountability.
Letâs be clear:
An apology is not justice.
A donation is not repair.
And performative gestures, like giving money to the NAACP or other organizations, do not make amends for deep harm done to a young Black man or the Black community.
The day before the boycott, I met with Mr. Chou face to face. I told him plainly: If you want to begin to repair the harm you caused, you need to face the Black community directly. Not through a reporter. Not through a press statement. Not with a polished media package. I warned him I couldnât guarantee how the community would respond. I told him he would face pain, anger, and raw emotion. But I also told him: You must show up anyway.And to his credit, he did. He stood before the people and listened. He didnât deflect. He didnât offer excuses. He apologized.When I attempted to hand him the mic, Carolyn Ruff, the boycott organizers, snatched it from my hand and tried to block him from speaking. She also cut Rev. Dr. Nabors off when he said the restaurant should not be shut down. She was determined to see the restaurant shut down and still remains outside the restaurant boycotting to this day. Thatâs her lane and she has every right to it.
But I chose a broader view. One rooted in protecting Black youth. One rooted in requiring direct, uncomfortable accountability from those who harm us. And one that does not let other communities forget the sacrifices Black people have made in this country...sacrifices that opened the doors for others to achieve their piece of the American dream. Our labor. Our blood. Our movements. Thatâs what cracked it open.
I also called out the divide-and-conquer playbook...how Black communities are often used, stepped over, and forgotten by the very groups weâve stood beside. That stops here.
We didnât collectively âacceptâ Mr. Chouâs apology. Some did. Some still havenât. Some may never. What matters is that we listened, we watched, and we will decide for ourselves what justice looks like - not based on symbolic apologies or financial gestures, but on real actions that repair harm and center the voices of those whoâve been hurt. Watch the clip.
Listen to the speakers.
Feel the truth in the room.
Then ask yourself: What does real justice look like to you?
Evolved. Uncompromising. For the people. - Meleika Gardner
***Note: Weâve been trying to gather more footage from the speeches at the April 26th boycott, so please bear with us regarding the audio quality - much of what youâll hear came from community membersâ phone recordings. We didnât have a professional videographer on site. Thank you to those who stepped up and captured the moment.
#ProtectBlackYouth #JusticeNotPerformance #TableToStixBoycott #WhereThePeopleMeetTV #RealAccountability #UnapologeticallyBlack #Evanston #MeleikaGardner #NAACP #TableToStix
On April 26th, something powerful happened in Evanston. At the boycott in front of Table To Stix, members of the community came together not just to protest, but to speak hard truths, to demand real justice, and to reject the performative gestures that too often replace it.Two courageous Asian speakers, Roy Zhu and Christine Escobar, stood up and spoke honestly about the anti-Blackness that exists within the Asian community, and even the racism between different Asian ethnic groups. Their words werenât divisive - they were necessary. This is what true allyship and cross-cultural accountability look like. Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors, President of the NAACP North Shore, stood at the mic and said the young manâs mother told him directly that she did not want the restaurant shut down. But whatâs important to note is this: in the letter she wrote, her tone was different. She clearly expressed a desire for justice and repair - not comfort, and certainly not closure without accountability.
Letâs be clear:
An apology is not justice.
A donation is not repair.
And performative gestures, like giving money to the NAACP or other organizations, do not make amends for deep harm done to a young Black man or the Black community.
The day before the boycott, I met with Mr. Chou face to face. I told him plainly: If you want to begin to repair the harm you caused, you need to face the Black community directly. Not through a reporter. Not through a press statement. Not with a polished media package. I warned him I couldnât guarantee how the community would respond. I told him he would face pain, anger, and raw emotion. But I also told him: You must show up anyway.And to his credit, he did. He stood before the people and listened. He didnât deflect. He didnât offer excuses. He apologized.When I attempted to hand him the mic, Carolyn Ruff, the boycott organizers, snatched it from my hand and tried to block him from speaking. She also cut Rev. Dr. Nabors off when he said the restaurant should not be shut down. She was determined to see the restaurant shut down and still remains outside the restaurant boycotting to this day. Thatâs her lane and she has every right to it.
But I chose a broader view. One rooted in protecting Black youth. One rooted in requiring direct, uncomfortable accountability from those who harm us. And one that does not let other communities forget the sacrifices Black people have made in this country...sacrifices that opened the doors for others to achieve their piece of the American dream. Our labor. Our blood. Our movements. Thatâs what cracked it open.
I also called out the divide-and-conquer playbook...how Black communities are often used, stepped over, and forgotten by the very groups weâve stood beside. That stops here.
We didnât collectively âacceptâ Mr. Chouâs apology. Some did. Some still havenât. Some may never. What matters is that we listened, we watched, and we will decide for ourselves what justice looks like - not based on symbolic apologies or financial gestures, but on real actions that repair harm and center the voices of those whoâve been hurt. Watch the clip.
Listen to the speakers.
Feel the truth in the room.
Then ask yourself: What does real justice look like to you?
Evolved. Uncompromising. For the people. - Meleika Gardner
***Note: Weâve been trying to gather more footage from the speeches at the April 26th boycott, so please bear with us regarding the audio quality - much of what youâll hear came from community membersâ phone recordings. We didnât have a professional videographer on site. Thank you to those who stepped up and captured the moment.
#ProtectBlackYouth #JusticeNotPerformance #TableToStixBoycott #WhereThePeopleMeetTV #RealAccountability #UnapologeticallyBlack #Evanston #MeleikaGardner #NAACP #TableToStix
