Pledge to Unity

We all yearn for the most fundamental need of human beings - to love and be loved. We can claim it as a right of every one of us on earth. Sadly, some of us have chosen to violate that right - through actions that strip away an individual's self-worth, self-esteem, and self-identity.

In this staggeringly challenging time, we all hope to bring peace to our global communities where human rights violations are rampant, to speak out against tragedies as a result of the historical and ongoing legacy of racial injustice and gender-based violence in the United States, to dismantle broken systems and rebuild a more enlightened society, to make a difference. Making a difference means each of us can be a point of light, a beacon for change. Some do it on a personal level - from conversations with your children during dinner to rising up as a charismatic voice for the people. Others may choose to use their businesses as a forum to effect change. Giant, billion dollar corporations such as Amazon can do it on a massive scale, where their message can be heard by a multitude of people.

Can a small, minority-owned business such as ours make an impact? Absolutely! 

When we got married 26 years ago, we felt blessed for the warmth and openness we received from our families - it was about love, no matter our different faiths or color of our skin. Since then, as owners of Tan Weddings & Events, we have been committed to serving “all faiths, all cultures, and all partnerships” - our humble way of making an impact.   Through our service as officiants and planners of weddings, we are proponents of unity, equality, and diversity. We are in a position to bring people of all color and cultures together in a joyful experience to celebrate and uphold the most fundamental of human needs - to love and be loved.

To love and be loved. It is so simple, so Zen, so poetic even. For a wedding business, it seems crystal clear to us, and we believe if all 7.6 billion people on earth followed this Golden Rule, all our problems would be solved, truly.  Unfortunately, we all have alienated ourselves from each other with layers of broken systems, biases, prejudices, racial injustice, mistrust, delusions of superiority, hate. With all that to cut throught, a mantra of "love and be loved" seems awfully empty and idealistic. We want to challenge you to believe we can cut through those layers and heal.​

Change takes time, learning and growing takes time. We are continually, day to day, reflecting inward and assessing our thoughts, words, and deeds, striving to become better people. If we all acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do, and that we have to do it with the core values of peace and unity, we can begin to heal. 

Our Pledge to Unity is our humble way as a wedding business to be a beacon for change. We will continue to model equality and unity in our professional setting as well as foster these values in our personal lives. We will continue to revise our pledge and to implement a plan of action that is thoughtful. We hope for a world that fully, wholly, and joyfully celebrates our differences and sameness. Love and be loved - it’s our right.

In our ongoing commitment to uphold unity, equality, diversity, and peace, we pledge the following:

• To Engage in Learning | We listen to our clients and concerned citizens, engage in thoughtful dialog,  and share educational and developmental platforms for staff, clients, vendors, and community, so we may support one another in raising our awareness and understading about equality, racial justice, and inclusivity. 
• To Cultivate a Safe Sanctuary | We cultivate a company culture that embraces people of all color, faiths, gender, partnerships, experiences, and capacities, where we foster a kind and caring environment that is safe, judgement-free, and protected, holding ourselves responsible for honoring all as unique individuals. 
• To Advocate for Diversity | We embody our core principles of diversity and inclusion by actively collaborating with BIPOC-owned small businesses, embracing a clientele of all faiths, all cultures, and all partnerships, empowering our Inclusion Specialist to expand our knowledge, and allocating resources for promoting diversity.  
• To Be Accountable | We are vigilant in analyzing our processes, examining our content, imagery, words, and actions to be aligned with our core principles. We are taking accountability for our business and calling ourselves out if we are not following our own commitment to be a beacon for change. 

Rick and Jennifer Tan
co-owners, Tan Weddings & Events
​Photo Credit | Jodee Debes Photography

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