Communities of Color Week: Marination!

Roz Edison and Kamala Saxton

Since hitting the road nearly three years ago, “Big Blue”, the food truck, has become a moving target – literally – for foodies from all over the state.

The big navy blue truck was the first location for Marination, an acclaimed Korean-Hawaiian restaurant started by owners Kamala Saxton and Roz Edison. Marination now has a fixed location in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Saxton and Edison plan to open a second location this fall in West Seattle, and already run a catering branch.

Being a destination for diners parallels what Saxton and Edison foresee for the state of Washington if Referendum 74 is approved this fall. Only instead of SPAM sliders and Kimchi quesadillas, the draw will be the freedom for same-sex couples to marry, and new business generated by gay and lesbian couples in love that want to honoring their commitment to one another through marriage.

“Approving Referendum 74 is good business for a number of different reasons. It’s good for tourism. It’s good for ‘wedding industry’ businesses like florists, caterers, jewelers, restaurants and hotels. And, it makes a statement about Washington and how we treat all citizens in this state,” said Saxton.

“Marriage matters to everyone, including loving gay and lesbian couples who want to spend the rest of their lives with one another,” Saxton continued. “Approving Referendum 74 makes good business sense, but it’s also common sense that everyone – including our customers, vendors and employees – should have the freedom to marry.

According to the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, upholding Washington State’s marriage equality law could bring some of the following benefits to businesses like Saxton and Edison’s:

–Improve recruiting efforts, as state businesses currently have to compete against companies in states like Massachusetts and New York that have extended civil marriage as an option to same-sex couples.

–Add $88 million to our state’s economy over the first three years of the change in law, according to an estimate made in a 2012 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA. Businesses represented in the Chamber’s membership that stand to directly benefit include jewelry stores, clothing retailers, hotels, photographers, caterers, and restaurants.

“There is a clear business case for supporting equal access to civil marriage,” said George Allen, senior vice president of Government Relations for the Chamber. “Marriage equality allows our companies to streamline benefit administration, improves our ability to recruit and retain the best talent, and helps our state’s bottom line.”

Saxton and Edison agree with the Chamber, but also have personal reasons for voicing their support for Approve 74. They’re not just business partners, they’re also life partners, who have experienced first-hand the challenges of not having the choice to legally committed to one another in marriage. “Because we own a business together, we always have to clarify what we mean by ‘partners’. Marriage gives you another option – ‘spouse’.”

Both also come from communities of color – Saxton as a Hawaiian Korean, and Edison a Chinese Filipino – where they have seen that strong families make strong communities. They believe marriage for all will benefit everyone.

As for the two of them if Referendum 74 is approved? Will they be getting married? “Time will tell, but having the choice to marry gives us the option to say something definitive about our love and commitment to one another. And that’s what we want for everyone.”

Meanwhile, the wait for Kalbi Tacos at any of the Marination locations will always be worth it, but the wait for marriage equality in this state may soon be over if voters approve Referendum 74 in November.