The Black Madonna Freedom School Community Agreements

At the Black Madonna Freedom School (BMFS), we aren’t just talking about liberation from white supremacy and patriarchy, we are nurturing a community that lives and breathes liberation. We are nurturing a radically inclusive anti-racist, feminist, trans-inclusive, interfaith community.  To that end, we require all community members to embody the following community agreements which pertain to all interactions among BMFS students, instructors, staff, volunteers, and all other community members:

 Expectations for Community Engagement 

  • Centering Black women and Black non-binary people. The spaces created by BMFS center BIPOC people in general and Black women and Black non-binary people in particular. When we create BIPOC racial affinity offerings (e.g., access to chat rooms, scholarships, etc.) for BIPOC community members (and not for white and white-passing community members) we do it to help offset the oppressive effects of the white supremacist patriarchal system in which we all operate. We ask all white and white-passing community members to respect the Black and BIPOC-centered spaces. 

  • Embodying self-awareness. We ask that everyone use self-awareness when engaging in class and in group channels. If you are accustomed to taking up space, please consider taking a step back. If you are not used to taking up space, we welcome you to take a step forward.

  • Honoring the boundaries and scope of the space.  BMFS is not a substitute for any medical or psychological examination, therapy or treatment. The content of the program does not constitute any medical diagnoses, treatments or recommendations for therapy. We ask all community members to refrain from using the space for therapeutic interventions and to be intentional about seeking appropriate care when needed. 

We do not tolerate blatant or subtle forms of bullying/cyberbullying, intimidation, erasure, and/or harassment during gatherings, live courses and/or collective care channels 

  • Verbally communicating, sending or posting discriminatory, harassing, or threatening messages or images. 

  • Verbally communicating, sending or posting messages that defame, slander, or erase other individuals. 

  • Engaging in harassment based on a community member’s membership in a protected class (race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability). 

We do not tolerate disruptive and/or disrespectful behavior 

  • Conduct or behavior which interferes with or disrupts the community, teaching and learning process. 

  • Failing to follow the guidelines of the specific in-person or virtual space. 

  • Conduct or behavior that shames a person or group of persons. 

We do not tolerate patriarchal (non-mutual) relational dynamics

  • Hierarchical behaviors such as telling others what they should think or believe, criticizing others, colonizing the moral high ground, unilaterally speaking on behalf of the divine, and not honoring the sacred intrinsic wisdom of each person in the community

  • Non-mutual behaviors such as talking excessively and not allowing ample space for others to participate, making the entire gathering/interaction about you, excessively prioritizing your needs over the needs of the group, a pattern of late arrivals, non-participation, or not honoring the time and energy of the other community members. 

  • Defensive behaviors such as avoiding earnest reflection when given constructive feedback, acting as though the community guidelines don’t apply to you, and avoiding accountability for one’s impact.

Failure to engage respectfully with our community agreements will lead to the following course of action: 

  1. A Truth and Reconciliation Call with a representative from BMFS

  2. During this call, the individual will be invited into a practice of self-reflection in which they can make amends for their behavior. If they agree to immediately stop perpetuating said behavior, they will be restored back into the learning environment with any necessary precautions identified by BMFS. 

  3. Failure to engage respectfully with our code of conduct and refusal to make amends in a truth and reconciliation call will result in a non-refundable membership cancellation.