Inclusivity and Diversity at Skein Sisters

Here at Skein Sisters we are fortunate to be located in one of Sydney’s most culturally diverse areas. Since January 2019, the knitting and crafting community has been engaged in an earnest and meaningful conversation about racism, the need for greater inclusivity and diversity, and the devastating effect of white privilege. Our community has reached out to us to take a stand against racism and ensure our spaces are safe for marginalised people.

We recognise that our team is comprised of white women and we understand there are privileges that come with that. We are committed to making Skein Sisters a safe place, to work hard to educate ourselves through increased awareness, ongoing learning, and self-interrogation. And to actively engage in anti-racist work, thereby helping to move our industry towards equitability.

Skein Sisters is a creative space where we value and respect each individual. We do not support, condone or promote racism or any form of prejudice and discrimination.

We are committed to this work. We understand the list detailed below is neither exhaustive nor complete and we will continue to expand and update this list as we move forward in our learning:

We are committed to:

• Ensure marginalised people are safe in our spaces – in our shop, in our online and social media spaces and the event spaces where we have a presence. We will not tolerate behaviour or words that leave a marginalised person feeling unsafe, and we will respond quickly when we see this behaviour.
• Listen to, and learn from, the marginalised members of our community. Be respectful of their space and value their labour.
• Prioritise our learning, in particular understanding and interrupting our unconscious bias as we navigate our own privilege. We will support our staff in their learning by providing access to programs and materials to further their understanding and education. We are doing this through, but not limited to, Cultural Competence Training, Anti-racism online courses and tutorials, and providing a library of reading materials.
• Seek out and nurture the work of members of marginalised communities and diversify our offering of products and classes. This includes featuring the work of dyers and makers in our store and through our Sisters Spotlight program.
• Ensure our newsletters, web pages, social media posts are inclusive of images and copy that reflect the diversity of our community and marginalised communities.
• Petition industry groups and influencers to engage their active support for anti-racism work.
• Create opportunities for marginalised groups to meet and craft by making our space safe and available.
• Have formal policies in place to manage the actions of our staff and our customers. Make these policies publicly available and regularly reviewed.
• Communicate our plans and intentions, welcome and accept feedback and regularly review.

We understand we will make mistakes and we will hold ourselves accountable to feedback from marginalised people about how we can do better. We will apologise and be grateful for the opportunity to learn.

Your comments are welcome. Please email us with your thoughts at info@skeinsisters.com.au.