In recent weeks and months, our country and our communities have been shaken by acts of violence and miscarriages of justice selectively affecting people of color. We of the Pantheon Foundation, who are witnessing these failures of our judicial system and the brutality of civil servants whose job is to serve and protect all people of this nation, are stunned and outraged.

There is a long history in the United States of mistreatment of people of color by police, and failure of the judicial system where people of color are involved. Racism is still a very real threat to the lives of people of color every day in America. The marches, protests, and civil actions have reached our streets, come to our doorsteps, into our homes and holy spaces. They are not inconveniences, they are invitations to participate in righting a great wrong in our systems of law enforcement and justice. The increasing visibility of these incidents increases our urgency to find ways to support people of color, starting in our Pagan community.

As an organization dedicated to advancing the social welfare of Pagans and the Pagan community, the Pantheon Foundation takes seriously its commitment to serve the well-being of Pagans of color and other minority Pagan groups. To this end, although we are still a very new organization, we have thus far:

• Reached out to Pagans of color and and other minority representatives for guidance in shaping our Foundation’s core policies and values, and invited them to hold influential advisory positions in the organization. Any organization or project that seeks fiscal sponsorship with the Foundation must meet with the approval of our Diversity Advisors.
• Affirmed our commitment to inclusion and diversity in our operations, staffing, and fiscally sponsored organizations, via the Foundation’s non-discrimination policies
• Hosted an “Activism Among Pagans of Color” panel during our recent Pagan Activism Conference Online, which can be seen here.

 
Going forward, we intend to:

• Compile a list of materials and resources for the Pagan community, which will be posted separately in the coming days.
• Continue to invite Pagans of Color and representatives of other oppressed minorities to hold influential roles in our organization and its projects
• Continue to require that all of our fiscally-sponsored organizations abide by our non-discrimination policies
• Produce more events and offerings that centralize the voices of Pagans of color and provide helpful information to allies of Pagans of color, and do the same for other minority groups within the Pagan community
• Continue to offer the protections and benefits of fiscal sponsorship to Pagan organizations focused on social justice, racial justice, and cultural propagation.

 
The Pantheon Foundation also seeks input, advice, and suggestions from the wider Pagan community about ways, in alignment with our Mission, that we can contribute to a more racially just society. Please email us at pantheonfoundation@gmail.com with your thoughts.

Lastly, as individuals and as an organization, we say to Pagans of color: We see you. We stand with you. We are here to be of service to you.

Pantheon Foundation Board of Directors

Sam Webster, Executive Director
Yeshe Rabbit Mathews, Secretary
Barbara Cormack, Treasurer
Janet Hayes
Heather Greene