November Project aims to create community through fitness and accountability, where all people are welcome, regardless of race, age, gender identity, sexuality, and/or ability. The reality is that our organization is predominantly white, and some of our norms are rooted in white supremacy culture. That is, people whose identity is anything other than one of privilege and power may not feel welcome, they may feel that NP does not maintain a safe space for them, or that our culture requires they assimilate and/or ignore some part of themselves to find commonality and belonging. This can manifest in the language we use: for example, using “guys” to refer to a group of people. The places we meet can inhibit participation based on proximity to parking or public transit; dimly-lit parks have consequences. In so many ways, we have been shouting “inclusivity” while drowning out the voices of those who are trying to tell us otherwise.
In July, we started NP DEN Learns to engage especially our white members in the following:
- Intentionally and regularly listening to the experiences of marginalized people; and
- Discussing how we can course-correct to create a more equitable world.
We knew this was only a start; there is more work to do.
Last Thursday, NP Brooklyn co-leader Maggie Huang wrote this brave and heartfelt blog that outlined the ways in which she has continued to be silenced and marginalized by various people in NP leadership. The succeeding discussion reveals that Maggie’s experience is not an aberration; so many others have experienced Maggie’s pain because of the ways NP has continued to operate.
How can we claim to know what is best for our community when we haven’t even asked? I (Gabby) personally considered myself to be an approachable person, and I thought that if someone had something to share, they would feel comfortable doing so. I now recognize this can be both harmful and untrue. That false notion has kept me from actively soliciting feedback, probably in an effort to protect myself from facing the reality that the impact of my actions far outweighs my intent. I overlooked that a critical part of my leadership role was to regularly check in with our members. Maggie reminded me of this when she wrote “if you choose, with your own willpower, to maintain a position of leadership, if people follow you and listen to your instruction, you have an inescapable obligation to check in with your members.”
To refocus on how we can truly serve you and our broader mile-high community, we must ask for, listen to, and understand the experiences you’ve had at NP Denver. Thus, we created an ongoing feedback survey to anonymously and candidly share your experiences with us. Whether your experiences are good or bad, we want to hear it all. Further, how we respond is one of the ways that we can foster a sense of trust and safety with our community. We anticipate that we’ll receive a wide range of feedback that may not necessarily fit into neat boxes that we can address with a clear response timeline or concrete flow chart. Rather, we want to take a more holistic approach to reflect on the weight and intersectionality of what’s been shared with us. To facilitate transparency and accountability, we plan to periodically host community discussions about what we’ve learned and how we plan to evolve. We will ask for your permission to anonymously share and publicly discuss, and we will clarify precisely what and how we can share your feedback. Maintaining your privacy, safety, and/or boundaries will always dictate if and what we share, and you may rescind this permission at any time.
Please fill out this feedback survey and share it with everyone including long-time members, one-time members, visitors, and observers.
Thank you for your help to make this community better.
With love,
Gabby and Erin
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You are a freaking inspiration to all of us Gabby. Thanks for being such a rockstar leader in our community and the NP.