We, the undersigned individuals, urgently address the discriminatory event hosting practices of Charis Bookstore at Agnes Scott College, situated at 184 S Candler Street, Decatur, GA.

Charis proudly claims, on its homepage, to be the South's oldest independent feminist bookstore, celebrating radical voices and advocating for social justice since 1974. Recent incidents have cast doubt on the sincerity of these claims.

Charis which, as indicated in its homepage, is the school store partner for Agnes Scott College (and where students shop ASC merchandise there), hosts public and private events. Their website details that they “are especially excited to work with activists, organizers, teachers, and artists who want to bring their skills to a larger audience”. They also write “don’t hesitate to pitch the seed of an idea and we will help you shape it if it fits our mission and calendar”. Their mission is described as “fostering sustainable feminist communities, working for social justice, and encouraging the expression of diverse and marginalized voices”.  

Previous interactions with Charis, such as a controversial private event in early December, showcased their accommodation of private events. Responding to requests directed at Agnes Scott, in their role as a partner, urging them not to permit this event, the college clarified, “per our conversation with Charis management, we understand that this is not a Charis sponsored event. Rather, Charis Books has had a long tradition of offering community space to many organizations or groups as a service”. Consistently, during the event, organizers informed the audience that it was indeed a private gathering.

Troublingly, Charis displayed inconsistency in its event hosting policies. When members of the Jewish community sought to use the venue for a non-political event—a vigil for Israeli victims of sex crimes on October 7—they faced a block. Charis justified their refusal, citing a policy against hosting private events (despite evidence to the contrary) and claiming sufficient collaboration with other organizations to honor all victims. However, upon scrutiny, it is revealed that their agenda including the private event in December only acknowledge certain victims, excluding Israeli women rape victims. Their social presence also suggest the same. 

Our petition calls for fair and consistent event hosting practices, holding Charis accountable for its discriminatory actions. We question why Charis refused a non-political event honoring Israeli women rape victims while allowing other events that exclude them, contradicting the equality and inclusivity principles Charis professes.

We believe that all individuals and organizations should be afforded equal opportunities to host private events at Charis, especially when the content aligns with the store's proclaimed values. Rejecting an event addressing rape victims—whether Israeli or others—contradicts Charis' mission. Claiming to be a feminist bookstore while deliberately ignoring rape victims, regardless of their background, and omitting them from their agenda is a blatant hypocrisy and establishes a troubling double standard.

As concerned members of the surrounding communities, we express our dismay and disappointment at Charis' behavior. We convey our hesitation to support a store that engages in such discriminatory practices.

We urge Charis to review and amend its event hosting practices to truly embrace diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusivity.

Sincerely,

The undersigned

For more info about the Israeli rape victims:

• NY Times article
• BBC article
• Daily Mail article
• CNN article 
• The guardian article
• Daily Mail article re women hostages
• These acts against Israeli women were also acknowledged by the UN. UN website . UN experts said: “Each and every victim deserves to be recognised, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or sex, and our role is to be their voice”. They also said “These acts constitute gross violations of international law, amounting to war crimes which, given the number of victims and the extensive premeditation and planning of the attacks, may also qualify as crimes against humanity” and “There are no circumstances that justify their perpetration”.