Hello, Athlete. We hope this email finds everyone well.
We would like to start by thanking everyone who participated in the town hall meetings on Wednesday. It was an opportunity for us to share perspectives and feelings regarding a difficult topic and we did so with respect and understanding. We started a necessary conversation and wish to continue this conversation moving forward; this is what will drive lasting change. We listened, we learned, we hear you! Everyone’s input has been appreciated and valuable in helping us finalize a position on how we will move forward.
We also want to thank our team of coaches. They continue to keep things running and be there for each of our members, even if it’s just lending a listening ear. They truly love and care about each of you. Their input and perspectives are invaluable.
CFKSQ as we move forward:
We will move forward as CFKSQ. At the present time we will remain a CrossFit affiliate (*please see the next section regarding our stipulations). We believe our affiliation does not define us or what we stand for, but rather provides us a platform to speak and act to make real change. CrossFit as an organization has done great things over the years by supporting many causes, such as CrossFit for Hope fighting childhood cancer; it supports Veterans organizations, and breast cancer charities; CrossFit supports communities in recovery from substance abuse and addiction; just to name a few. It is for these reasons we believe and are hopeful that as they navigate through this time they will evolve to make a true, positive impact in the black community
*We are NOT CrossFit HQ and are affording them the time to make some REAL changes:
We would like to state again that we, unequivocally, do not agree with the comments made by CrossFit’s former CEO. Those comments do not reflect the beliefs or core values of our leadership team, staff or of the CFKSQ community. We embody the same core values of our community and no one can sully that. We have not and will not tolerate any form of racism, disrespect or unfair treatment of others. Let us be clear, we recognize and have vocally stated (and will continue to state) at the HQ level that Greg Glassman must be removed completely from the organization. We recognize that major changes need to happen at the corporate level, but our patience and willingness to wait for said changes will not continue in perpetuity. We are, however, willing to be patient for the near future to see that these changes are made. We will remain diligently committed to continuously assessing our brand and affiliation throughout the coming months.
We will make CFKSQ better and create change for other CrossFit boxes to model:
All of this is meaningless without taking further steps within our organization to change how we look at the world and the people in it. CFKSQ will use this opportunity to influence and lead change within the CrossFit world. We want to represent what action and change should look like at an affiliate level. We are committed to change for racial equality and will move forward with our community to create programs that drive inclusiveness and diversity within our surrounding communities.
We are committed to action and will create programs that drive inclusiveness and diversity:
We will continue the conversations started over the past few days. We will hold our first CFKSQ Task Force meeting on Wednesday, June 24th at 7:30 pm at the box. (We will maintain the proper distancing and wear masks!) Join us, link arms with us, and work with us to truly make change. We would love for everyone to be involved in the process of educating, understanding, and planning so that we can be better as CFKSQ and work to change and strengthen our surrounding communities.
Thank you for allowing us to share this message.