This is the ARCN landing page.

This is the ARCN landing page

You landed here because...

• You want to join ARCN,
• Or, you clicked a link to an ARCN post, event, or course but you are not a member yet, 
• Or, you are an ARCN member but you logged out previously and now need to log back in,
• Or, you want more information about our ARCN community.

Here's how to join.

FAQ about ARCN's membership plans.

About ARCN

MISSION OF ARCN

To establish, develop, and support an online anti-racist multiracial  community of members who are involved in learning, activism and organizing to achieve racial justice and to end white supremacy.

Who is it for?

• People who are working to achieve racial justice and end white supremacy through activism and organizing.
• People who want to learn about what it means to be active and organizing against racism and white supremacy.
• People who want to support others who are active and organizing against racism white supremacy.

What ARCN offers you

• Relevant news
• New ideas and approaches
• A space to develop new relationships and collaborations
• New resources
• Perspective and feedback
• Informational workshops and programs online
• A place to deepen your anti-racist analysis
• Conversations facilitated by trainers and practitioners with special expertise
• Opportunities to follow up on workshops
• Exposure to a range of other people and groups working to end racism and white supremacy

Things you can do on ARCN

• Post news
• Announce meetings, workshops, and other events
• Offer opinion and perspective
• Build a personal support network
• Solicit support for your organizing
• Find organizations you want to support
• Offer workshops and programs online
• Help build an online multiracial, anti-racist community

Community values

Multiple voices and points of view.

There are many ways to resist racism and work to undo white supremacy. Activists and organizers sometimes get caught up in their particular approach and perspective. We welcome the critical exchange of ideas and experiences. But we do not want to see the circular firing squad dynamic that sometimes arises in left wing, progressive, and radical circles. We need every person’s contributions.

Developmental approach

ARCN is growing and evolving. At this early stage of its formation the community needs the support of a founding organization to set up the system, recruit membership, provide initial programming and set policy. (The founding organization is CSWAC; see Policy – Governance below.) In time, as the community grows, we anticipate that the community itself will begin to develop its own policy and means of governance.

Decentering whiteness

This means several things. At the highest level, it means majority control of ARCN does not and will not rest in the hands of white people alone. Second, we will do our best to balance everyone’s interests fairly, but if and when there is a need to balance the interests of white people versus that of BIPOC people in regard to sharing power and resources, we will privilege BIPOC people. This does not mean we will disregard or disrespect any individual person for their presence and contribution.

Calling in, not calling out

Many voices are needed to overcome white supremacy. While we understand loving criticism, we want a community that recognizes the humanity of each of its members. We want to reflect the world we hope to bring about. We can not afford to throw anyone away.

Building multiracial community

Easily said, but difficult to do. We want to cross the big divide of white supremacy between white people and people of color. That may be the most difficult task but not the only one. We do not support monoracist constructions which naturalize the internal cohesion of one community at the expense of another. We will have our differences as individuals and as racialized communities. In ARCN, we are working toward the goal of a multiracial, anti-racist nation and we intend our community to reflect and model what that may look like. We will experiment and learn. We will stay with the process. No group gets left behind.

Governance

ARCN is currently a project of the Center for the Study of White American Culture (CSWAC). CSWAC is a multiracial organization. You can see our board, our staff, and our trainers here. Day to day operations of ARCN are managed by the CSWAC Operations Team, which consists of CSWAC’s board president, executive director, associate director, and director of training (a black woman, white man, biracial woman, and white woman, respectively).  Periodically, the CSWAC board of directors reviews the current status and operation of  ARCN.

FAQ

Where does the money go?

Membership fees are used by CSWAC to pay for the Mighty Networks platform on which we run, and for time spent by CSWAC staff-provided services and support of the operation of the community.