American Go E-Journal » 2020 » June

The American Go Association shares the communal outrage at the inequality and injustice suffered by so many minority groups, and particularly by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Racism and racial inequality are anathema to the inclusive mission of our organization. The American Go Association stands behind its mission to foster inter-cultural and international goodwill through Go-related activities. Current events have prompted us to consider how we can be more conscious of the different experiences that shape our members’ lives, and reminded us of our priority to listen and learn from each other, and to welcome all into our community.  

While we are a diverse community in many ways, we recognize that we have far more work to do to make our community equally welcoming to everyone. The experiences of people of color matter deeply to us, and we welcome any feedback so that we can learn how we can do better. The creation of the AGA Code of Conduct between 2015 and 2018 was catalyzed by the experiences that members shared with us, and we want the structure that it created to be a forum where experiences can continue to be shared in a way that helps us grow and become better as an organization. However, we realize we cannot place this burden on people of color alone. We ask every member of our community for help in becoming more aware of and addressing inequalities and injustices that exist in our community. You can contact the Code of Conduct Committee at any time at CodeofConduct@usgo.org or 240-513-7825. 

We understand that words are not enough. The AGA board will take up issues of diversity and inclusion at it’s upcoming June 28 meeting, where concrete actions can be initiated to improve our organization in this regard. I am happy to present your ideas to the board as Coordinator for Diversity and Inclusion (email lisa.scott@usgo.org), or you can submit suggestions through the Code of Conduct Committee as described above. As a member you can listen into the meeting and observe the development of these initiatives in real time. You can also see a summary of the meeting in the posted minutes, available at https://www.usgo.org/board-minutes, and in the EJournal.  To join the June 28 board meeting, please email lisa.scott@usgo.org for call-in information. 

In the regularly scheduled May 2020 meeting of the AGA Board of Directors, the board discussed the continued impact of COVID-19 on the go community, including forthcoming recommendations to continue to minimize or adjust in person go play given COVID-19 related health concerns and re-evaluation of the possibility of rating certain online games. They also approved the 2021FY budget, discussed virtual activities that could be offered as a “mini-congress,” and reviewed a proposal for a go map application.  You can find the minutes of that meeting here.  
You can find the minutes of the April special meeting (convened to decide whether or not to cancel the 2020 US Go congress) here.  The summary of that meeting was previously published and can be found here.  

The AGA Board has added an additional meeting on June 28, 2020.  The topics of discussion include the annual report, online events for early August, rank certificate program, ratings, AGA privacy policy, conflict of interest policy, and long-term goals and priorities.  For more information, you can find the detailed agenda here.

Are you an AGA member interested in listening in to the meeting?  Please contact the Chairperson at lisa.scott@usgo.org for call-in information.

Are you interested in commenting on past board meeting minutes?  You can submit your comments here, and they’ll be available to the entire board and relevant officers. Past minutes are available here.

Nominations are coming to a close June 15th and the race in the Eastern region is heating up. Three candidates are running including professional Stephanie Yin, incumbent Gurujeet Khalsa and top player Justin Teng. The contest for the At-Large seat is also active with Darrell Ashworth, incumbent Ted Terpstra and Varma Ashish running, Things are a bit quieter elsewhere with incumbents Lisa Scott in the central region and Christopher Saenz in the west running unopposed. All chapters should have received a preliminary voting rights count through the AGA chapters mailing list. Please check your membership and chapter status for recent expirations. Questions and queries should be sent to elections@usgo.org.

-report by Arnold Eudell

After a successful first month, the New York Go Honor Society team is ready to announce the New York Go League’s second month of competition. “The league has been operating at a participant count of over 80 players and we hope that more will be inclined to join,” says Patrick Zhao, VP of NYGHS. “Registration for the league is and will continue to be completely free for the foreseeable future.” If you are able to commit to two games per week and would like to participate, register here. “We are also proud to announce that although we cannot prize extensively, we will be awarding the top player in every division 50% off NYIG trial classes,” continued Zhao. “Despite it being a relatively small prize, we believe that it corresponds with our motivation of creating this league with the intention of giving people a chance to play competitively and develop their skills in the game.”