Our response to recent questions…
Austin NARIX is coming up and we’ve gotten many questions and lots of feedback about our latest application. We understand that folks need more transparency around what happened and why, before deciding whether or not to attend the upcoming event. Today we are publishing a series of blog posts to provide visibility, answers to those questions, and explain the direction that NARIX is headed.
At a glance, there’s two main topics we want to dig into:
The new “antiracism question” that was added to our application process.
The overall process for selecting attendees, including the new policy for auto accepting underrepresented applicants.
Let’s start with the tl’dr:
We are committed to hosting diverse and inclusive events, and we are taking a more hands-on / active role in curating and supporting attendees. This is to ensure that NARIX events are welcoming for BIPOC attendees in particular, as well as many other underrepresented groups in the North American Rope Scene.
That active role may feel bad for folks who are happy with the way things have been done in the past, and it may sometimes feel bad for others as we try new things, process feedback, make changes, fuck up, and work towards something better.
We are dedicated to taking feedback, and to keep trying. Change is hard, often clumsy, and we understand that these changes have a big impact on you all, sometimes quite negatively. We will continue to solicit feedback before, during, and after those changes. We won’t get it right the first time and realize that our actions may have unintended consequences, and that we won’t know it until well after it has happened.
So let’s take you through it–what we did, how it went, and hopefully some answers to your questions:
First: Here is our “NARIX by the numbers” post, which explains the current state of NARIX, demographic trends we’ve been observing, and how we handled this most recent round of applications. NARIX began collecting this information in 2023 and we've continued to do so with every following event. This is where you’ll find:
Specific discussion of the antiracism question that was on our latest application
The process we followed for reviewing Austin NARIX applications
The demographic data for who applied, and how that’s changed over time
Then: Here is the next writing, an explanation of all of our current ongoing initiatives related to diversity and inclusion at our events, going back to the start of this current steering committee’s tenure in 2022.
Finally: Here is a deep dive into our process for admitting attendees. We know there has been confusion, as the process has changed nearly every event for the last 2 years. We have tried to make regular announcements as those changes were implemented, but we recognize that we have not succeeded in making that information easy to find.
In closing, we hope that our history of growth and change has earned some of your trust. We ask for your patience, to assume we have good intent, and to take a leap of faith – changing nothing and continuing with the status quo will only lead to more of the same. We are driven by an optimism that Big Rope Events (like ours) can do better than they are today at being diverse and inclusive. We welcome questions and any constructive feedback you may have.
As NARIX continues to grow and change we understand that some may disagree with our approach and wish to no longer attend. Our doors will always be open if you ever change your mind.
