Warp and Weft: Weaving a Community of Practice for Antiracism in Indiana

The purpose of this article is to consider elements of our success in building authentic relationships as a team of university and community members that developed a community of practice aimed at anti-racism education and activism. Our team co-created a field trip to develop and assess anti-racism and activism in Indiana. As we consistently met, our relationships deepened, which yielded deeper conversations about race and racism. Using critical reflection as our guide, we invoke the metaphor of weaving to explain how these processes were integral to the development of relationships within our community of practice. Warp threads represent the structures we put in place to create and maintain the structure of our CoP: a) sustained commitment; b) creation of working agreements; c) purposefully getting to know one another; and d) reflection about our process. These elements supported our weft threads: the dialogue, sharing, and listening, developed through trust and open conversation, which strengthened our relationships. These processes have potential to be elements of success for those interested in creating communities of practice with similar goals.