About WAARC
The Waterbury Area Anti-Racist Coalition (WAARC) grew out of a multi-racial, multi-generational group of community members who gathered to organize a Rally Against Racism on June 14, 2020 in Waterbury, Vermont. This rally was in response to a rally in Montpelier a week prior where local 8th grade student Damien Garcia spoke powerfully of the racism he has experienced in our community.
WAARC seeks to build on the energy and insights of that first rally by working to create a community where every person can fully experience freedom, belonging, and love on a daily basis. We are committed to challenging racism at all levels, including interpersonal racism (both conscious and unconscious acts) and systemic racism (our local institutions and policies). We will work toward a better future through education, advocacy, and activism.
Principles
Prioritizing voices and leadership of members of color - We acknowledge that members who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color have acute insight into the mechanisms of racism in terms of both its impacts and strategies for making our community more antiracist.
Empowering students and families of color - We want to include all members of our community and beyond, but we will intentionally center and serve community members of color.
Continuous learning and growth - In addition to listening to and learning from members of color during our meetings, we are committed to ongoing collaborative and individual study of racism, its impacts, and antiracist concepts and strategies.
Focus on impact - We seek to help make substantial change in our community and to operate organizationally in a way that minimizes the reproduction of racist structures and relationships. Our processes for working together will assume that the dynamics of white dominant culture are likely to cause harm to our members of color, and we will seek to minimize this harm and to repair it when it happens.
Transparent advocacy - As strategies emerge and organizational stances are clarified, we will publicly articulate them in a way that is clearly linked to WAARC on our website.
Confidentiality of particulars - Conversations within meetings should remain broadly confidential. Participants can discuss ideas or general topics outside of meetings, but we will refrain from naming names or sharing specific stories.