Anti-racism statement

Kindred are a company focused around building and celebrating community, and we feel strongly that as a business and members’ space, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are actively inclusive and anti-racist. 

We understand that being anti-racist is a constant process of learning, reflection, and taking action, and this is our statement to our members, audience, staff, and wider community of commitment to that process.

Being anti-racist is more than denouncing racism; it is an active process of identifying, challenging, and changing any aspect of our business that perpetuates systemic racism. That includes the ways in which we work (our systems and processes), the ways in which we communicate (our marketing and customer service), and the experiences we create inside our building (our events programming, private hires, and hospitality offering). 

We feel strongly about inclusion and want Kindred to be a truly safe and welcoming space for everyone. In working towards this, we are committing to the following actions and principles:

  1. It is important to acknowledge any harm that Black and People of Marginalised Ethnic Groups experience while in our building

  2. Where appropriate, we will always first try to take a “calling in” approach where we will compassionately and without prejudice explain why a given action was harmful. We accept that people make mistakes, that racial bias can be unconscious, and that becoming actively anti-racist is a process. What’s most important are the actions we take in learning from our mistakes

  3. We accept microaggressions — acts and behaviours that communicate hostile, negative, or derogatory slights and insults to the target person or group — as acts of racism and, where possible, will take a “calling in” approach to address them as quickly as possible after they occur. If we observe, or if any of our staff or members report experiencing overt racism, we reserve the right to eject persons from the building

  4. If we make a mistake, we will acknowledge and own up to it, and make the effort to educate ourselves and do better in future. We acknowledge the limits of our own perception, and that our own experiences are not universal. Trying and not getting it right is more important than remaining silent

  5. When a Person of a Marginalised Ethnic Group shares their experiences and perspective regarding racism, we listen to and believe them, and understand that they are giving us a gift. The burden of education for anti-racism should not fall on people who are marginalised by racism

  6. We recognise that the burden of addressing racism is higher for our Staff and Members of Marginalised Ethnic Groups, and that silence from our white staff and community members is a further “emotional tax” on them

  7. We are committed to continually educating ourselves on how we can better show up for our Staff, Members, and Guests of Marginalised Ethnic Groups, and translating this into actions and behaviour. We understand that creating a truly welcoming and inclusive environment is about showing rather than telling

  8. We are committed to ensuring that Kindred is a space that is welcoming to everyone. We acknowledge that an important part of this is the message given by our marketing communications and events programming. We commit to including diverse representation, perspectives, and voices in our communications and programming, and to ensure that we are reaching diverse audiences with our marketing

  9. We are committed to inclusive and diverse hiring practices, and are intentional in applying these principles when screening, interviewing, and selecting candidates. We have set internal policies and goals to achieve this

  10. We are committed to making Kindred membership as accessible as possible, so that everyone has a chance to be a part of our community if they would like to

  11. We run anonymous surveys that invite staff to share ratings, reviews, and feedback on diversity, equity, and inclusion at Kindred. We will use these to make informed decisions about our company culture, and review our progress every six months

  12. We acknowledge the importance of leadership at Kindred in creating a safe environment. This includes being there for our colleagues and community members, allowing them space when necessary, and affirming our support for them

  13. We will continue to think critically about how we can use our power as a business, and as the individuals within the business, to effect meaningful change. This might involve supporting certain charities and organisations or using our platform to amplify certain voices.

We use the term "People of Marginalised Ethnic Groups" to refer to groups of people affected by racism, who are not white, per anti-racist activist Nova Reid's book The Good Ally. We recognise that discussions, associations, and meanings of phrases change over time and are constantly developing, and we will update the terms used on this page as necessary. 

This statement was updated in January 2022