Lace on Race

Onboarding Community Part 1

Consider these Onboarding posts complimentary to our Relational Ethics series.

While their function is to help newcomers acclimate, they will also be profitable for anyone in the space, regardless of time spent.

All of the information and guidelines we will be sharing apply equally to everyone, regardless of tenure, how one identifies racially/ethnically, contribution level (yes, I went there), or any other thing that one could think or assume would grant an exemption.

Nothing does. We are on equal footing here. Some of us might know more; some of us might have praxis worthy of emulation; some might be just starting out; some of us have been walking together for almost 2 years now.

It doesn’t matter.

We resisted doing a list of guidelines, because we recoiled at the autocratic, top down nature of it, and because we figured the space would more or less self regulate.

We’ve been right about that for the most part. But there are still some stubborn areas that, if allowed, will stunt, inhibit, sabatoge, and derail our walking together.

As a community, we strongly encourage comments and deep reflections. They guide and shape our praxis. As we work through post content, consider the implications, and apply them to our own grounding, we must take the steps to be accountable to community, lest we simply read for quick gain.

Look, Beloved Community.

We’re only going deeper as we collectively walk forward. And I need each of your help to do so.

Here, on a website, the option for a react button does not exist. However, that does not mean our tendency to give surface responses, and quick react sentences is suddenly gone. In fact, we have to do even deeper work to make sure our engagement remains resilient and convicting.

The content provided here becomes a sort of coursework, if one allows. Each category of discussion bolsters the other, creating a web of support that will guide your inner work. Take your time, but do step in and engage.

Thank you, collectively, and especially individually for continuing to walk with me.

Resolutely,

Your Lace

Lace on Race Admin Staff

4 responses to “Onboarding Community Part 1”

  1. Christin Spoolstra Avatar
    Christin Spoolstra

    This line also really jumped out at me as well. I also found the comparison of the react button with surface-level engagement. I’m working on pushing myself to dig deeper.

  2. Danielle Joy Holcombe Avatar
    Danielle Joy Holcombe

    I feel that especially in the midst of the course corrections, we have seen so much community growth. Indeed, we lost some folks – and there was definitely violence, specifically against you Lace. I feel so sad/sorry for what you have endured in that regard. But in the midst of that hurt, there was also growth. Some of us were able to practice dipping our own toes in the water of correcting another with kind candor. Typically, I think people fall into one of two categories for correcting others – angry and shaming replies, or avoidance. I’m sure there are exceptions but many of us need practice on how to call our fellow walkers along side in new and healthy ways. And some of us didn’t step in directly with those who were causing harm but participated in community conversations in the days following. We definitely had so much opportunity to learn and grow together.

  3. Kathy Kratchmer Avatar
    Kathy Kratchmer

    “….In fact, we have to do even deeper work to make sure our engagement remains resilient and convicting.”
    This is a helpful and convicting statement: I think I already went for my most accessible level of commentary on the ‘I will die before you’ post.

  4. Lace Avatar
    Lace

    One of the things I love best about this community is that as we have come together, we have made for a communal ethos, like I thought we would.

    The small course corrections we have needed is not an indictment of the method; rather thy are reasons why the main thrust of both our mission and who we are have been so amazing.

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