In light of the difficult but necessary conversations currently happening on social media around racism in the broader knitting community, we as a board felt compelled to make a statement.

First of all, we would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge some of the BIPOC folks on Instagram (including but by no means limited to @su.krita, @thecolormustard, @ocean_bythesea, @astitchtowear, and @tina.say.knits) who brought this topic to light in such a major way this past week. Thank you.

We want the Minnesota Knitters' Guild to be a place where everyone feels like they belong. We also know that intentions are simply intentions; there's more work to be done.

We commit to going beyond passively pointing back to the words of an existing inclusion statement. Part of this means doing all we can to make sure each member and guest feel warmly welcomed at each of our programs, and part of this means actively seeking out and supporting BIPOC speakers, teachers, designers, and vendors.

As a starting point, we are gathering input and suggestions with a brief survey found at this link.

We commit to keeping this conversation open and ongoing. It is our hope in 2019 and beyond that our community becomes more inclusive, making us all stronger and better as a whole.

Our ears are open.

Sincerely,

The Minnesota Knitters' Guild Board