My last visit beginning of garden season is where I was told I was a trouble maker/not wanted.
I have been told many, many, many times by multiple people that girls don’t belong in the woodshop and metal shop using “big” tools. No big deal, I still use those shops as needed (at some point it became tedious to even attempt to report stupidity, so I stopped).
I do invite others to try but I don’t encourage POC/minority communities to sacrifice themselves so non-POC can learn to foster a community where all are treated with dignity and respect.
It’s not mentally healthy for the POC/minority.
This is all making me question if I should cancel my not yet approved membership.
Not to discount other people’s experiences, but I use both the metalshop and woodshop and have never heard anything like that. I’ve only ever been welcomed into the spaces.
Any environment where a person feels they need to be so careful of their word choices is unhealthy, hostile, ugly, … words can’t convey how much this sickens me.
That’s not a gentleman, that’s an emboldened, bigot. That we somehow tolerated that behavior is on all of us. If we’re not calling out that behavior, we aren’t even at the starting point for approaching diversity. Or equity. Or inclusion.
So much work to be done. Some initial baby steps are being attempted, but make no mistake. It requires a concerted, committed, long term effort by everyone to get to where we want to be. If anyone thinks that ‘everyone’ doesn’t apply to them that’s part of the problem right there.
Thanks Gretchen, I knew that. But if people have learned to have to be either joking or careful or whatever it’s part of the burden they shouldn’t have to carry.
The approval process can take a few days, but I went ahead and enrolled you in Orientation for next Tuesday. Reach out to membership@makeict.org if you have any questions.
Thanks for the ongoing discussion here, and especially to Noah for calling us out. I think the recent growing pains (to put it lightly) are a symptom of ignorance. MakeICT is mostly a white, male space and it’s been that way since the beginning. You could understand why, then, there weren’t adequate anti-discrimination or harassment policies in place–because, as a general rule, us white men don’t have to worry about this kind of stuff. Again, this is ignorance at best, racist and discriminatory at worst. We were completely unprepared as an organization to deal with the kind of vile and insidious acts of a few members. I’m honestly heartbroken that the community garden that I helped established would be the reason Noah left the space. I’m sorry for not being a better ally. That guy ruined the Garden space for so many people. I’ve since left the Garden committee, and really haven’t been going to MakeICT in general, because it’s just not worth the infighting, name calling and egos that tend to ruin any kind of community building at the space. It’s exhausting. But I hope that some kind of phoenix can rise from the ashes. Noah, you are completely right that we need to build a healthy, inclusive environment FIRST. One that protects POC and the LGBTQ community instead of doing it on the fly while people are actively being harmed. I do think it’s beginning to happen–it seems like hard decisions are being made and bad actors weeded out. It will take a lot more time and we need to have very clear policy for these kinds of things going forward. We can’t police every member, all of the time. But we can have clear instructions to follow when people speak up about abuse and swift action when it takes place. I hope we can do better.
Well I’ll say, I’m a gay woman that grew up in the 80’s and 90’s in rural oklahoma, I’m not thin skinned, there’s hardly anything anyone can say that I haven’t already been called. And I don’t expect perfection, change takes time. All I ask for is responsiveness.
Same here but the point of it all is we shouldnt HAVE to put up with abuse in the space and I entirely understand why members would choose to leave due to a hostile environment. One of the bigger reasons why I havent spent a ton of time at the space lately has a lot to do with hostility and also being pulled or cornered into places i dont care to be, on committees or gossip or asking me uncomfortable questions or making uncomfortable statements. Can I endure it? Sure. Does it make me want to be an active member? Certainly not. Im staying for now because I do want to make use of some of the space and I see a glimmer of hope for the future of the community, but a widespread cultural change needs to happen.
Actually I think this might have a committee already. There is plenty of space. Have it in the Electronics lab. Just shut the lights off if your the last out. If someone gives you static about being there send them to me. I’m not ESD sensitive. (That’s a very clever electronics joke. I’m quite proud of myself for that one.)
I’m not going to give you permission to meet, I’m just telling you to act. (I am giving you permission to meet in the ERP lab… But no one needs permission to meet)
It’s unlikely that a problem of this complexity can be solved on a forum. I have zero idea how to fix it. But I support it happening.
No big deal, I still use those shops as needed (at some point it became tedious to even attempt to report stupidity, so I stopped).