Dear USAF Instructors:This past weekend the USAF Board of Directors held its annual meeting at Florida Aikikai’s winter camp. During our meeting we discussed a petition on gender equity which had been posted on Facebook and otherwise circulated by a Coalition of women in Aikido. We also discussed a related proposal from another group interested in advancing diversity and equity and ways to grow and strengthen the USAF.
The Board is fully committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the USAF. Based on our own deliberations and several constructive recommendations we have received, we will be implementing a series of changes, starting with the creation of a Working Group to explore gender and equity issues. This Working Group will include one or more Board members and one or more Technical Committee members, along with other USAF members. We will be providing greater detail in the forthcoming letter from the Board Chair sharing the outcomes of the Board meeting.
According to our Code of Conduct, “all members are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on the USAF and Aikido.” While we are excited about the actions we will be taking to advance equity and inclusion, we are disappointed by the Coalition’s divisive behaviors, especially on social media, which have included public attacks on the USAF, its Board and Yamada Sensei. As such, we have notified the coalition that we will only work with USAF members in good standing who share our goals of promoting gender equity in an honorable, transparent and mutually respectful manner.
We want all USAF members to know we are grateful to Yamada Sensei for the organization he has created and built. Furthermore, the Board fully supports Yamada Sensei and has complete confidence in his leadership now and going forward.
Respectfully,
The USAF Board of Directors
