Ethics

Ethics

We seek to create a space where the work for individual and collective liberation come together in powerful ways. We feel that our strategies for change can be strengthened by ceremony and our struggles for freedom can be buttressed by faith. We know that humanity is one sacred part of the larger mystery. An abiding love for people, the natural world, and the unknown guides our steps. We are a cross-cultural, multiracial community that is committed to incubating and catalyzing strategic action for social justice. We value practices of internal awareness that allow for a brave and compassionate exploration of our being and our relationships with others. We are rooted in anti-oppression analyses, visions of alternative economies, and the histories of many struggles for freedom.

We are committed to a sustainable and sacred relationship between human communities the natural world- most specifically with the land we are stewarding. We believe in both cultivated and wild spaces. We hold the land with the reverence in which it holds us. We know that people cannot separate our lives from the land we live on or the multitudes of other beings on the planet. We are committed to rhythms of work, play, practice and interaction that nurture our own souls as much as they nourish the world around us. We believe in a diversity of ways of knowing and learning. We believe another world is possible- one that is guided as much by generosity and wisdom as it is by justice and peace. We actively work to lift up equity, inclusiveness and the humanity of all beings. We are committed to full participation of people of color in our programming, being a welcoming space to people of all generations and sexual identities; and making our programs accessible to people of all income levels.

The Stone House works actively against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religious affiliation (or lack thereof), and disability. All of our major programs are comprised of a minimum of 50% people of color. While we are dedicated to challenging all forms of oppression, we believe that racism has a primary role in the social justice challenges in the United States. We feel that a group that is no less than half people of color provides the most basic level of diversity necessary to have a group experience that works meaningfully across lines of difference. We also feel that it is important for white people to have meaningful non-majority experiences. All of our programming is offered on a sliding scale and often for no cost because of our commitment to offering these kinds of experiences to the people who need it the most but often get it the least. We invite participation in all offerings regardless of ability to pay. We are actively in pursuit of making The Stone House fully accessible to people with disabilities. We inherited a piece of land with buildings that were not designed with accessibility in mind and so we have our work cut out for us on this front. While we are currently not full accessible we seek to be within 5 years. We believe that food is a primary human expression of culture- and creating a food experience that is healthy, tasty and culturally relevant to participants is a priority for The Stone House.