Over the last few weeks on a variety of platforms, I’ve made mistake after mistake while trying to address the tragic killing of George Floyd and express my support for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
People have called me out on it, and I deserve everything they’ve said. Despite the tone-deaf nature of a blog post I made last week and the tone-policing I did in the comments, a number of people spoke up, and I’m forever grateful for those who did. Thank you to Jayme, Nicole, Dusty, Elizabeth, Daniel, Lindsay, Eric, Sara, and Marguerite.
While this was happening, behind the scenes at my company, Stonemaier Games, we were crafting a statement about how we stand against racial injustice and police brutality. At first it was just a statement, but thanks to some healthy challenges, we realized that a statement isn’t enough. We wanted to make a declaration of quantifiable actions that we could take to address systemic racism and racial injustice.
It took some time, but we’re in this for the long haul. This isn’t a bandaid or a quick patch job. I’m committed to lasting change, personally and professionally, starting with–but not limited to–the goals outlined below. Thank you to everyone (internally and externally) who contributed to this statement, including Joe, Lydia, Elizabeth, David, Jen, Vitaliy, Craig, Jason, Alan, Michael, Megan, Ryan, Christine, Morten, and Micah.
I love the fact that this is actionable and measurable. I do hope that you will give semiannual updates on your progress?
Mike: Absolutely. We’ll definitely do it once a year, but monthly/quarterly updates will be good too.
Great statement from SM. With my two favourite board game companies coming out with strong action plans to address this issue (the other being Chip Theory Games https://chiptheorygamesblog.com/our-statement-of-accountability/ ) I feel I’m supporting the right people. Well done!
This statement is wonderful.
So here is just a thought and you can do with it what you like. In the past you have donated some funds for a pre-order of an expansion of wingspan to fight the fires. Maybe the same could be done for BLM charities. Maybe an expansion character/faction for scythe. Or alternate leader/player powers for scythe. I only mention scythe because it is my favorite game that you make but something similar could be done for any game.
Again, just an idea using what you’ve done in the past as the spark for this idea.
Thanks Matthew! I like that idea, and I have something in mind for it in 2021. 🙂
I should have already guessed that you would already have something planned!
Thanks for all you do.