Black Lives Matter and Harassment in LARP

Durnic

Durnic

Virtuoso
Hi everyone,

We don’t usually speak about non-LARP topics in this group, but to be silent at this time in American history is to ignore the ways in which the real world affects our game. To start with: Black Lives Matter. The US has a racism problem, and this racism problem extends into our very own LARP community. It is no secret to anyone with eyes that the vast majority of our community is white, far out-of-step with the demographics of the areas we draw players from. This is a problem, and has been a problem for longer than we’ve been members of this community.

This problem did not start with us, but it does continue through us. Alliance has a comprehensive anti-discrimination policy, which you can read here. However, this policy has clearly not been enough to make Alliance Oregon a safe space for black players and other people of color. To begin to heal our community, we are taking the following actions immediately.
  • Welcoming Jessica R to the staff team as “DEI Coordinator”. Jessica has graciously agreed to be a dedicated resource for players of color in our game, and for the staff. An outline of her job responsibilities can be found on our staff page.
  • Spearheading a proposal to the national organization to change the racial makeup requirements for High Ogres, to remove yellow-face from the game.
  • Bringing a proposal forward nationally to review and change the racial stereotyping in both the Selunari and Hobling races.
  • Creating an official policy outlining what types of behaviors which are unacceptable, and outlining the communication channels available for players to report incidents of discrimination and harrassment. This new policy can be found here.
  • Requiring current and future members of staff to complete diversity training.
  • Guided by our DEI Coordinator and the Alliance National Diversity Council, advertise for Alliance Oregon in geek spaces occupied by people of color.
  • Continue to listen and learn, and iterate on our policies, procedures, and storylines as we do so.
This is just the start. We are committing, as people and as LARP organizers, to work hard at making this game a place where non-white players can feel safe. The road will be long, but it is a fight worth fighting. LARP can be a transformative hobby, helping those of us who participate to become better versions of ourselves, especially those of us who have a hard time fitting in with “mainstream society”. It is a shame that this support and transformation has been unavailable to many of those most oppressed in our society. We can’t change the past, but we can change our future.

Sincerely,
Rick, Brian, Barb, and Ben

Contact info:
Owner: owner@allianceoregon.com
General Manager: gm@allianceoregon.com
Aer’Astria Plot: plot@allianceoregon.com
Broken Shards Plot: brokenshardsplot@allianceoregon.com
Player Rep: playerrep@allianceoregon.com
DEI Coordinator: diversity@allianceoregon.com

Resources:
http://bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES
https://nordiclarp.org/2018/02/07/more-than-a-seat-at-the-feasting-table/
http://setsunaceras.blogspot.com/2017/07/my-advice-for-how-larp-designers-can.html
http://setsunaceras.blogspot.com/2017/08/how-to-handle-racism-in-world-of-larpers.html
http://whitesforracialequity.org/free-online-courses/
https://www.fastcompany.com/9051294...racism-and-privilege-and-how-to-be-antiracist
https://leavingmundania.com/2014/03/24/race-in-larp-what-to-think-about/

Books (from black booksellers):
https://aerbook.com/maker/productcard-4087430-9421.html
https://aerbook.com/maker/productcard-4734268-9421.html
https://aerbook.com/maker/productcard-3623673-9421.html
https://aerbook.com/maker/productcard-4241252-9421.html
https://www.kizzysbooksandmore.com/book/9780812993547
https://keybookstore.com/afrocentric/the-new-jim-crow/
https://44thand3rdbooksellers.indielite.org/book/9780465060689
 
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