Affinity Circle - White Allyship - May 2023

The AABC Diversity + Inclusion Committee invites members to participate in quarterly Affinity Circle meetings. Join us at our upcoming May meetings.

These meetings are designed to create a safe space for members to explore identity, areas of concern, and community change. These sessions will be facilitated by AABC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultants, Sarah Hansen and Amanda Neatrour, of the EnterChange Group.

Members may attend as many Affinity Circle meetings as they like, but we ask that members only participate in meetings for groups with which they identify. This means white people should not attend the Members of the Global Majoirty Circle and straight people should not attend the LGBTQIA+ Circle. 

These Affinity Circle meetings are informed by restorative practice and healing/listening circles, drawing on lessons from elders and ancestors across Indigenous peoples and communities throughout the world and focusing on shared emotional connection and exploration of social and systemic impacts on our lived experiences of our identities. 

During the meetings, we will meet as a large group and may also break out into smaller groups. You will come together with people you may or may not know, though all participants will be members of AABC. When participating in the Affinity Circle, folks will be asked questions to explore the month’s topic on a deeper level. Each participant will have the responsibility to listen and an opportunity to be heard. We invite participants to bring their full selves to these meetings and thus recognize that sometimes folks may want to “pass” their turn to speak, and that is OK!

Thank you for your interest in AABC’s Affinity Groups.  AABC is pleased to provide these as a benefit of membership.