We will absolutely not accept any form of racism in this community/ company and if you are okay with being racist, we say a giant F**k you. This includes finding reasons to defend it. We will respect that everyone has a right to an opinion but we will not tolerate all opinions. For the Black makers in this community, you are safe in this space. Moving forward, as a yarn punk, not being racist is not good enough – committing to a lifetime of anti-racism work will be part of the mindset of this genre/subculture.
As part of the punk mentality suggests, we are taking the side of humanitarian rights and we believe that all Black lives truly do matter. We will not accept that all lives matter until Black lives matter. We stand in solidarity with Black lives across the world.
The Yarn Punk community breaks the status quo of the system that we live in that is dominated by White supremacy. Or rather, doing our best to dismantle it. The brand will always evolve and so will those that take up space here. Silence or neutrality on this issue is no longer an option for those in the community that affiliate with this brand.
In the most recent news, clear evidence of murder of George Floyd is unacceptable and we cannot begin to fathom why it takes countries to protest to arrest the police officers that murdered this man. Arresting these people is not enough, even when justice is served. This killing stems from a history of police brutality that is covered by the cloak of White supremacy.
We call on all yarn punks that affiliate with this brand to take action and commit to dismantling White supremacy. We stand with the #blacklivesmatter movement full heartedly. This will be true in our own mentality, our homes, communities, online, and in the streets. We call on all yarn punks in this community to do your part in un-learning your own prejudices and racism.
We recognize that acknowledging the systemic racism that has benefited white people can be uncomfortable but we will tackle this political issue.
It will take time to dismantle this concrete system that has been in place for so long. The headlines will start to fade, but even when other headlines take over, our work is nowhere near done. We call on all those in our community to aid in this revolution.
Some things you can do:
– Donate to charities/organizations that aid in funding for Black communities and aid.
- Some great places to start and donate to are Black Lives Matter, The Bail Project, and the NAACP.
- Be sure to keep an eye on your own local communities for relief and other funding projects!
– Keep up to date with what brands/businesses you buy from and ask where their policies lie and what management looks like.
– Share and credit the voices of Black makers in the community. Respect their spaces and really listen.
– Do NOT enter the spaces of Black artists/ voices and ask how you can help. There are plenty of resources that can be found online and a quick google search.
– Take the time to learn about the system we live in with an extensive list of documentaries and books! Some great places to start are:
- Documentaries
- 13th
- 16 shots
- Crime + Punishment
- The Death and Life of Marsha P.
- Ferguson: A Report From Occupied Territory
- I Am Not Your Negro
- Reads
- “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo
- “How To Be An Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi
- “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race” by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- “So You Want to Talk About Race”
- “Me and Whie Supremacy” by Layla F. Saad
– If you can, show up and protest!
– Talk to your family and friends and spread the message of the #blacklivesmatter movement.
- Linked here is a great Instagram post that helps with how to start those conversations and this post demonstrates great responses to common arguments.
– Call out any racism you see, online and in real life.
The changes that we at Yarn Punk call on:
First, To De-fund the Police
- Our elected representatives and congressmen and women to pass reform that will defund the police and to eliminate it’s absurd and militant rates of funding. Instead, let that money be reallocated to go to education, housing for low income neighborhoods, public services and other beneficial areas.
Second, To Condemn Racism from Public Officials, Our President especially
Third, for brands and businesses to be open and transparent about their management and policies
Here are some actions our CEO, Vincent Green-Hite, has taken to hold himself accountable. Along with this, com
- Donating to organizations (Donations sent to the Portland Bail Out Fund along with NAACP)
- Using both his personal and branded platform to amplify Black makers/voices in the fiber industry.
- Educating himself not only on what White privilege and supremacy is as well as how the system that we live in benefits whites. To unlearn his prejudice and ways to dismantle white supremacy.
- He’s voting for progressive leaders federally and locally from Portland, Oregon.
- If you haven’t registered to vote, do so by heading here!
- Participated in the physical protests (but because of immune-compromised health concerns, is taking a step back from doing so)
- Signing Petitions
- Super easy and quick to do so – https://www.naacp.org/campaigns/we-are-done-dying/
- Following and taking the time to learn from Anti-Racism leaders/teachers in the industry
Anti-Racism work is a lifelong commitment. If you disrespect any Black maker spaces, you are dead to me and banished from Yarn Punk. Please take the time to find resources on what YOU can be doing right now. You can head to my Instagram (@knot.bad) for my daily posts and updates in my stories.
