Hey artists and craftspeople, if you haven’t noticed the lack of diversity in our field, you should take a long hard look. Supporting the current protests against the murder of black people by the police and our governmental policies is the fire that we’re fighting right now, but it’ll all be for nothing if we just go back to doing what we used to do afterwards. This fire is fueled by the inequities that we have let pile up. We need to clean up our respective fields. . I’m asking my followers (who presumably follow because you’re interested in these creative fields) to consider joining @crafting_the_future (craftingthefuture.org). We’ve got a lot of work to do when it comes to diversity, especially in #glass and #ceramics. Protesting for changes in police funding and government policy is a great start, but we can’t just leave it at that. We need to realize that fixing our problem of racism isn’t about checking items off of a to-do list. It’s a process that requires constant work and upkeep from each of us. If you think showing up to a protest, or making some social media posts will get your ally receipt validated, then you’re missing the point. If this moment in time is to mean anything, it must go down in history as a beginning, and not just an event. . So commit to doing the work around you. Act upon your immediate surroundings directly to change structural inequity. Call it out when you see bias happening. Invite people of diverse backgrounds to participate and listen to what they have to say. Take an active part in getting more diverse people to join. Keep making improvements to make your environment and organization more welcoming to BIPoC. Don’t just rely on those already underserved to do the work to change things. ( @nceca , I’m especially calling you out. Your silence in the past 3 days speaks volumes). . #craftingthefuture https://www.instagram.com/p/CBG92S4Hd2l/?igshid=hlkkjrqmkw69
