PLR Code of Conduct

Our pledge

We are committed to providing a respectful space that encourages womxn to trust and feel good in their bodies. A space that allows womxn to show up authentically, free from bullying, harassment, or harm, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation. Any words or actions that are oppressive to others or deny their humanity will not be tolerated. Any hateful speech, degrading comments, or bullying is unacceptable. At PLR expect to be called in, we encourage everyone to hold themselves accountable.

We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, and inclusive community.

Agreements for how we show up together

(also known as a Code of Conduct): 

• PLR is an Accountable space. This is not a safe space. It is impossible to ensure 100% safety in any space. This is not a brave space. Brave spaces put an undue burden on marginalized people. We cannot ensure safety. We do not expect bravery. We do expect accountability.

• We co-create a space where everyone who wants a chance to speak gets to do so. We listen to understand, not just to respond.

• We embrace conflict, discomfort, friction, imperfection, nuance & a both/and mentality.

• We encourage everyone to move at the speed of trust. We expect everyone to respect privacy and confidentiality, but we cannot guarantee both. Although we hope everyone operates with integrity, PLR and its leadership team cannot control or pre-empt the actions of every individual member or participant. We therefore ask that everyone please act accordingly.

• We keep personal stories private; and share lessons learned. Whenever you share, please give proper credit to those who facilitated your learning.

• We will make mistakes. We are all learning/unlearning. Despite our intentions being good, we will Fuck up. When that happens, own your impact. Be open to correction and hold yourself accountable.

• We encourage you to take care of yourself. Our space is not therapy. Although it may feel therapeutic, this is not intended to be a therapeutic space or an alternative to therapy. In this space you are not only accountable to others, you are also accountable to yourself. It is your responsibility to manage your triggers, to understand the true source of your emotions, to avoid making projections, and to take care of yourself.

• We acknowledge the space that we each take up; the privileges that we may each bring into gatherings and how these may limit the free expression of those around us.

• We commit to self-reflection and action. We encourage you to think about how what you learn impacts your daily life and what actionable steps you can take when you leave this space.

• We agree to practice radical kindness. What this means is that you are pledging not to be “nice,” which usually is the word we use when we mean that we’re being tolerant. We’re not here to be tolerant. We’re here to be radical. We’re here to make a change in our selves, our cultures, and the world. There is no time for nice or niceness. Those are ways that we cover over or bypass our actual feelings. Niceness causes harm. But by being kind, we are allowing ourselves and each other to show up as full, complex human beings.

• We acknowledge that Project Love Run is an anti-diet space, there will be no body shaming, fatphobia and promoting of diets or intentional weight loss in any way.

• We acknowledge the power of language—to uplift, empower and to harm, therefore the use of “o words” and other stigmatizing language is unwelcome. Please note “Fat” is fine if you identify that way or use it as a neutral body descriptor.

• We will avoid numbers in our discussion; that means no calorie counts, weight gained or lost, or other details that could be triggering to folks in eating disorder recovery.

• We encourage folks attending our events from wearing cologne or perfume, but we cannot guarantee a scent free space.

• We acknowledge the inherent risk of hosting events during the COVID-19 pandemic and the steps PLR takes to mitigate this risk include, implementing capacity limits, encouraging masking and offering hybrid event options when we can. Please stay home if you are showing illness symptoms or have tested positive for COVID.

• While we cannot guarantee that everyone will wear masks at our events, we encourage it to protect those most vulnerable in our communities. We also recognize that some folks may not feel comfortable attending events where mask-wearing is not enforced, we therefore ask for folks to reach out to us in advance so we can arrange a virtual/hybrid event option.

• We encourage folks to [please] share their access needs.

This Code of Conduct was inspired by codes created by the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Contributor Covenant, ASDAH, Tiana Dodson and Virginia Sole-Smith. As a community, we are always working to increase accessibility and our founder is training with various folks who work in improving accessibility and so this page will regularly be updated with further information related to accessibility and reducing barriers, knowing that this is an ongoing work in progress.

Please note: Our community and organization is led by a Black woman with multiple marginalized identities, and the work it takes to facilitate our events requires a lot of effort, and takes a huge physical and emotional toll due to its personal nature. As such, there are sometimes demands beyond our capacity. While we remain open to feedback from our communities, we reserve the right to establish boundaries that maintain our health and well-being. That said, we are open to receiving feedback, if you have any questions or concerns please contact our founder Filsan Abdiaman: projectloverun@gmail.com