Pay It Forward: Making Lemonade With Becky

Dear Ann Taylor Representatives,

I would be remiss to start this letter without stating that I defended my dissertation in a suit from your store. Every time I donned the suit I recalled the feeling of successfully completing my PhD. Until now. Now the items hang in my closet and I question when I will wear them again.

Last week a dear friend, Becky Andrews, was asked to leave your store - more than once - when she entered with her guide dog, Cricket. Told that dogs weren't allowed in the store, Becky explained that Cricket was her guide dog - her eyes. To both a sales associate and the manager Becky had to justify being in the store with Cricket. Cricket is indeed allowed in any public location thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Unfortunately, the ADA wasn't strong enough for the people who asked Becky and Cricket to leave. Saddened to read this reaction, I sent my own letter to Ann Taylor headquarters hoping to shed light on an obvious opportunity for some to expand their understanding of the ADA. I received no response.

Fast forward to today. In the past week sweet, kind, loving, courageous, inspiring Becky extended an invitation to the exact company who turned her away to offer an opportunity to educate sales associates so that the next time someone entered their store with a guide dog or another service animal they would be welcomed and treated with respect. Becky says this was a "simple" invitation - I see it as beautiful and thoughtful and loving too. With even more sadness, Ann Taylor issued a statement that Becky entered the store without Cricket in a harness. I second Becky's response, "Absolutely absurd!"  For any of you who read Becky's blog you know Cricket serves as Becky's eyes - she does this through the use of the harness. I was pleased to learn that the company recently retracted their statement that Cricket was out of her harness, but the response sent to many who they did reply to initially severely skewed (to the point of lying) what actually happened when Becky and Cricket entered the store.

While I was saddened by the Ann Taylor associates in Round 1 of this experience with Becky being asked to leave, Round 2 of issuing a statement that Cricket was out of a harness - essentially claiming Becky was doing something in direct opposition to who successfully guided her into the store - is, frankly, terrible. The recent statement was a meager step in an expected direction to healing for Becky.

Round 3? I don't know how to right a wrong. I don't know how one goes about retracting statements and making one feel welcome again, but I know that of all the kind, giving, loving people out there, Becky and Cricket always look for ways to see beautiful in the world. You'll remember Becky's outlook on life when she was featured as our See Beautiful woman of the month; she makes everyone around her feel loved and empowered. She does this for a living - every single day. Round 3 might just be a loss for Ann Taylor and a larger platform for Becky to educate people on guide dogs, the ADA, and her beautiful strength and courage.

We're paying it forward by using our saddened energy to squish lemons and make lemonade. Becky, thank you for your courage. Thank you for inspiring. Thank you for placing your energy in such beautiful, positive places. Thank you for the many, many ways you see the world and help everyone around you reconceptualize the lens through which we understand the world as well. Ann Taylor could learn so much from seeing the world through you and Cricket.

Sincerely,
Lydia Criss Mays, PhD
Founder & CEO, See Beautiful

To share your lemonade and support with Becky, click HERE.
If you feel compelled to weigh in with Ann Taylor, you may do so HERE.