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Centering Racial Equity at NaNoWriMo
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Why We Center Racial Equity
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We believe in the transformational power of creativity through writing, and recognize that this power has been historically and systematically denied to many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
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We recognize that our legacy as a white-centered organization (in leadership, staff, and program demographics) has—both consciously and unconsciously—excluded BIPOC participants and disempowered BIPOC voices.
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We know that we must be explicit in our strategy, intentions, and language in order to effect true change.
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We center racial equity so our community can be a safe and welcoming place for BIPOC writers, and to intentionally shift power at all levels of our organization.
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Our Role and Capacity
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We encourage people creatively, and believe that participation in our programs has the capacity to transform lives for the better.
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We guide our writers to reflect on and challenge the ways in which we center racial privilege through our stories, characters, and places we include in our novels.
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We work to make the privilege of telling your story accessible and equitable.
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We foster community by helping writers find fellowship with each other, within and across races and affinities.
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We provide entry points to professional writing and publishing—fields that remain white-dominated.
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We use our platform to introduce white writers to explicitly anti-racist causes, organizations, and resources.
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How We Will Center Racial Equity
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This document is a vision for how racial equity will drive every aspect of our organization in the years ahead.
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We will stay accountable to our vision and tactics by:
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* regularly reviewing strategy as a staff.
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* embedding goal-focused discussion and planning in all department meetings.
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* sharing and collaborating with volunteers, participants, and other stakeholders.
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* keeping strategy visible in day-to-day (e.g., meeting agendas).
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* making racial-equity goals an expectation within job descriptions and performance reviews.
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