Seeking Advice: Inclusivity
Hello! I've been doing boffer and larp with a local group for three years now. Best thing that's ever happened to me, I feel so at home and so allowed to be myself and so uplifted when sharing my personal hobbies and crafts.
Everyone in my community is very liberal and open-minded. Except the withering old heads that feebly try to make themselves relevant by claiming princely-ness they gained in the 80s with no witnesses. But we ignore them, largely.
That said, it is the most strikingly white community I have ever been part of in my entire life. I say this as a white person, who grew up around but not in the suburbs. And I hate it.
My community is excited and inclusive for any kind of person to join. Most of our newest members are very queer, and very loved. But there are very few people of color that stick around. Our male-female ratio is closer to balanced.
How can I
Weed out the unintentional microagressions and unconscious bias from well meaning, uninformed members of the community. For POC and women in this "boys sport".
Create a welcoming and caring environment for POC friends in the future. That is conscious and not dismissive of their experience.
Of course, no one is a racist hillbilly. We dropkick truly bad folks out expeditiously. but it feels so much harder explaining to people who are older and haven't spent their highschool years reading Instagram infographics on radical Inclusivity. I'm not wanting to stoop for their comfort but it seems unproductive to begin by pointing fingers at people who honestly think inclusion in activities is enough.