At Quantum Martial Arts, we’re committed to supporting diversity and inclusion, and to maintaining an environment with equitable treatment for all. We believe that our community is strengthened by a variety of perspectives, and are committed to providing equal opportunity for enrollment and advancement in the Dojo.
We think that a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community is one where all members, whatever their race, religion, citizenship, immigration status, ethnicity, nationality, English fluency, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, body type, education, marital status, parental status, military service, or ability, feel equally valued and respected.
The San Francisco Quantum Dojo is located within the occupied territories of the Raymtush Ohlone peoples. We recognize that our ability to train here results from a history of imperialism, racism, and violence, and that this history has resulted in ongoing disparities for many local communities we seek to welcome. It is our responsibility as a community that trains on this land to commit to reflection, allyship, and reparation work in addressing these systemic injustices.
As a nonprofit organization, we are committed to offering membership at a sliding rate that any student can access, and in utilizing the honor system in arbitrating these membership rates. We openly advocate for systems and policies that promote diversity, inclusion, and equity, and challenge those that create inequity, oppression, or disparity.
In welcoming youth from all backgrounds and giving them identical uniforms, we strive to equalize them on the mat; advancement through the belt rank system operates by hard work and nothing else. It is critical work to model diverse leadership and support young people as they develop into leaders and agents of change, and we recognize the need for cultural sensitivity and awareness of the issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We have confidence in our students and support them in discovering and expressing their identities.
Intention alone will not change things. With bowing onto the mat, we set out to understand the impact of our actions with more clarity. We acknowledge that we have internalized unconscious biases, and that we will make mistakes. It is central to our mission to practice accountability and reparations for these mistakes.
We name and work to dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services. We will explore underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness, and practice and encourage transparent communication in every interaction. We advocate for community-level thinking about how to best address systemic inequities through our work. To ensure we are living up to our community’s standards, we welcome feedback from all voices within our community on our inclusivity successes and blindspots.
We believe that we can always do better, and will not stop striving toward building a more equitable world.