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Dear Quilting Friends, (6-6-2020)
The events of the last few weeks and even months have been life-changing for
everyone and we sincerely hope that each of you are safe and well. MQG
members and quilters around the world are never far from our thoughts.
,,,,,,,,,,, believe strongly
in the importance of these statements and will continue to identify actions
the organization can take to cultivate social justice within the scope of the
MQG’s mission.
The MQG adopted an inclusion statement in late 2017 and the staff uses this
statement as a guideline in all actions and decisions: The Modern Quilt Guild seeks to foster a
vibrant and inclusive organization built on encouragement and mutual respect,
where all feel welcome. We support the participation of all who are
interested in the growth and development of modern quilting and we value the
diversity arising from differences that make us who we are.
Our member-driven Diversity & Inclusion
Committee developed the corresponding Community Guidelines to inform our actions in creating an
equitable and safe community environment. We looked to these guidelines
before making our social media posts last week. We know we have much more
work to do and the work of racial equality is crucial to our mission of
creating community in modern quilting.
While the MQG has taken steps over the years to improve inclusivity, the MQG
must be a much more intentional platform for amplifying the voices of Black
makers and other makers of color. Actions speak louder than words, and we
place these words here as a measure of our commitment and accountability. We
will update progress toward these goals on a regular basis via the MQG
website.
We are actively working to showcase and support work by people of many
communities that are underrepresented in quilting, including Black, Latinx,
Asian, and Indigenous makers. We strive towards the inclusion of all cultures
and communities in the MQG. Today, we focus this initial set of goals
and actions on the Black community specifically.
Goal:
Support organizations that are expert in amplifying and supporting Black
artists and Black voices.
Goal: Feature Black
quiltmakers in MQG content with increasing regularity to the point of being a
programming standard.
- Renew
efforts to seek out and invite Black quiltmakers and their work to be
featured in upcoming issues of Modern Monthly.
- Exclusively
showcase the work of Black contributors in the 2021 Quarter One issue of
Modern Monthly.
Goal: Use the MQG
platform to embrace the history and culture of Black textile art and artists,
as well as share anti-racism resources.
- Reserve
space at future QuiltCons for special exhibits centered around the work
of Black artists.
- Reconfigure
MQG Teacher Directory to include categories for teachers who focus on
African-American quilts, history, and techniques.
- Develop
a page on the MQG site listing websites, books, and other resources for
members and guild leaders who are starting or continuing their journey
in anti-racism.
We hope that you will continue on this journey with us. Please
feel free to share ideas for future actions with us at inclusion@themodernquiltguild.com. And as always, keep on
quilting.
Sincerely,
Karen, the MQG Staff, and MQG Board of Directors
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Sew blessed ~ my Friend . . .