STASH and Anti-Racism
We acknowledge that as a business operating in Calgary, AB we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta
As a small business, it is STASH‘s responsibility to leverage our privilege and identify the ways that we can take a stand against racism and bigotry.
We do not take this work lightly. We are committed to move beyond being "not racist" and are actively engaging in anti-racist work. We have been examining our business processes and identifying ways that we can actively help dismantle the systemic racism within our industry. We are also looking at the most effective ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement within our community. We are excited by these opportunities to engage with the community and make a true impact beyond simply sharing content on social media.
In our spaces and in the making community in general we have no tolerance for racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or ideologies that are against our belief that all human beings deserve equal rights. We recognize that actions speak louder than any statement we could make here, and we are dedicated to achieving tangible results that will better our community.
Dismantling racism is not a short-term commitment; it is how we move forward as a society. We are in this for the long haul and we thank you for being an important part of this movement.
We will use the following guidelines to direct our anti-racist work at STASH:
- Our staff will have access to ongoing opportunities to participate in anti-racist and diversity training.
- We will explicitly encourage those from marginalized communities to apply for positions as they become available at our business.
- We will continually identify opportunities within our business to take action and dismantle systemic barriers to racism within our industry.
- We will continue to seek out and work with minority and women-owned businesses whenever possible, and will support the growth of their businesses.
- We pledge to reach out to our vendors, suppliers, and other industry relationships to encourage their own commitment to anti-racist work.
- We will take every precaution to ensure our spaces — including our retail storefronts, social media pages, and online communities — are as safe and welcoming as possible for marginalized people.
- We will continue to reach out and support BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ designers with cross-promotion of designs on social media and showcasing their work on our in store-samples.
- We will continue to be mindful of all designers we showcase by highlighting designers who practice inclusivity in sizing, and are active in demostrating their anti-racism work.
- We will continue to work with and compensate fairly any designers we collaborate with for classes or design work, supporting BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, and other inclusive designers.
- We will continue to work with minority owned yarn businesses whenever possible by purchasing their yarn and fibre or working with them on trunk shows and other collaborations.
We are committed to maintaining a safe space for all of our customers, students, and staff members - both in-store and online.
- STASH welcomes and celebrates people of ALL races, countries of origin, religions, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and people of all abilities.
- STASH has a zero tolerance policy for discrimination and hate speech from both our customers and our employees.
- We want everyone to feel safe and comfortable at STASH and experience fibre arts without barriers.
- Service animals and aides are always welcome in our space.
- If you're a prospective student or customer who may require special accommodations, or have concerns about accessibility please don't hesitate to reach out.
If you have read this far, you may have noticed that this action list is the same as the one for RICK RACK. As sister stores, we share united values and beliefs about the importance of this anti-racism work and we are committed to dismantling systemic racism together.