Bunnie
That is NO WAY an apology!

Hi Deb-Ellen
thanks for being the conversation.
There has been a lot of discussion in the group, but we’ll have to see where it goes. There has been, obviously, a lot of high emotion. I fervently hope that Abby can find a way (or get the help needed) to steer the group out of this and build a better thing. I would imagine she’s feeling battered at the moment, both with and without cause (a lot of piling on going on, not all of it constructive). I think the best thing to do it to give her the room to enact some of the things she says she’s planning to do… actions speak, so let’s let them. As for Deb Buckingham… she flounced out of the group in a fit of “I am in no way a racist person” and “I can’t think of a reason to be involved with a community that quickly jumps to racist as a reason.” Um… yeah, honey, that’s a textbook racist diatribe. I did not link her up because I thought I wouldn’t give her the pleasure of the traffic, but if you want to track her down just type “Deb Buckingham crochet” into the googles and you’ll get her FB page. Interestingly enough she acts like she’s a business woman, but she doesn’t seem to have a business web page – huh. And in researching her within the CIA group, it seems she only popped in when she needed something, and not to be of help to others – another huh. There has been enough support for Ebony that at some point I hope Deb thanks me for not sending the righteously pissed people her way.

Hiya Lo. Just wanted to send you a quick update… I was ejected from the CIA FB group in a moment of emotion last week, and was invited to re-join today. And I declined. I decided to take that time and invest it in myself and my biz instead. Sometimes one does not have to stay in all the fights. 🙂

Also in all this furor has there been any response from the instigator – Deb Buckingham?

Interesting how Abby Glassenberg’s non-apology is being “policed” for her poor word choice and wonder how she is feeling about that.

Got it. Thank you for taking the time to explain your reasoning.

Hi Lo. I’m staying until the end of my subscription (the money is already spent), at which point I’ll re-evaluate. There are a lot of people still in the group who are worth my time in terms of helping them rise as I believe we all rise together. Also, being as I was on the front end of this debacle, I’m sticking around to see what Abby does to fulfill the promises she’s making. Better to see it from the front row than through a game of telephone. If she can’t pull a few rabbits out of the hat in six months, then I’ll bail. I’m not passing out forgiveness like halloween candy, but cancel culture can keep us in silos in a bad way, and I think what we’re looking for is a way to help each other in this group that is sensitive to the hardships endured by my BIPOC colleagues, and one that treats us ALL with equal respect. It’s a massively tall order. I’m on board for the work.

As a woman who ran a consulting business for many years (and had to take over several companies to “fix them”) I am appalled that an organization would object to a professional who provides clear and direct advice, freely given. As a quilter, I am extremely upset that someone in the quilting community is silenced in a public forum. I hope that the organization can rise above its unprofessionalism, and be a welcoming force in the quilt business. And for Ebony – keep doing what you are doing, and thank you for your generous sharing of your knowledge.