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No Place For Hate


JUNETEENTH

June 19th, 2021

This is a day of celebration and remembrance.

In 1865, on June 19th, the last Confederate state enacted the Emancipation Proclamation and slavery in the United States was officially abolished.

June is also Pride Month, where the LGBTQ+ community commemorates the progress we have made toward acceptance. Both events are causes for celebration. They are also opportunities to reflect.

Churchmouse is a white woman-owned business, with more white than minority employees, on an Island with a white majority. All the same, we have a global customer base and we are committed to expanding our awareness—as a company and as individuals—with inclusivity and anti-racist programs.

Today, we encourage you to join us in working to bridge our racial, gender, and socioeconomic divides, and think about what we can do to help the world become a better place.


April 14th, 2021

When we founded the company in 2000, the first line in our vision statement was:

Churchmouse Yarns & Teas will be a community where everyone is welcome.

Today we are underscoring that vision. We’re affirming that this is no place for hate.

We are currently working with consultants on a continuing awareness program that will help us, as a company and as individuals, to become positive counterpoints to a long history of racist violence.

Thank you for supporting us in the effort.

For more on this:

“Over-Coming Bias - Building Authentic Relationships Across Differences” by Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman


IN SOLIDARITY WITH AAPI

April 2nd, 2021

We stand with the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in the wake of recent attacks and endemic racism.

According to the nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate, Washington State ranks third nationally in hate incidents against this community.

As the world continues to struggle with racism, we encourage you to both condemn it when encountered and encourage efforts to be inclusive of all people regardless of their background.

Organizations worthy of support:

AAPI Progressive Action

Asian Americans Advancing Justice

AAPI Women Lead

Thanks for joining us in this effort.


Black Lives Matter

June 4th, 2020

Words are not enough, yet we must not be silent. Black lives matter. That is not a statement to be debated but a statement of truth.

Thank you to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) who have raised their voices while bearing the burden of a system that privileges white people at the expense of Black Americans and people of color.

At Churchmouse Yarns & Teas, a small company of individuals, we support the Black Lives Matter movement and are committed to anti-racist work. Those of us who are white have the responsibility to be an active part of the solution to racism. The need for change is on us and we have work to do.

Here are a few ways we can stand together:

Vote in your local, state, and national elections.

Call your federal, state, county, and local representatives.

If you are able, donate to organizations urgently asking for aid.

Speak out when you witness injustice.

And stay informed.

Thank you for reading,

Churchmouse Yarns & Teas


Continuing the Work with Gratitude

June 6th, 2020

We are grateful for the heartfelt responses to our support of the Black Lives Matter movement. (See below) Our community connects with each other over a shared love of yarn, tea, and the act of making. Now, in this moment of urgency, we are taking steps to strengthen our bonds through a commitment to human rights and anti-racist work.

At Churchmouse, we are learning (always learning) what it means to be an ally, how—for those of us who are white—to use our privilege to help lift others, and how to recognize and rectify mistakes that we have made. Clearly stating our support of Black Lives Matter is a first step for us. The next step is continue to learn and work and speak out.

Among the many notes we received this week, we got a few that responded with the phrase, "All lives matter." We understand that the intention of those words may not be racist, but we must recognize that the impact those words have is harmful. "All lives matter" deflects attention away from the core issue—that Black people, specifically, are endangered and harmed by systemic racism every day. To affirm that "Black lives matter" is not to say other lives don't—rather, it asserts that Black lives must matter before the phrase "all lives matter" can be true.

Thank you again for engaging with us on this important issue. We are so grateful to be a part of this community.

All the best, from all of us.

Churchmouse Yarns & Teas