July 11, 2023 Beloved Members, Groups, and Service Bodies of Overeaters Anonymous, We all come from different backgrounds and experiences. The OA program is for everyone with a desire to stop eating compulsively. We are meant to be inclusive and welcoming to all. A subcommittee of the Unity with Diversity Conference Committee has been in … Continued
Beloved Members, Groups, and Service Bodies of Overeaters Anonymous, Humility, of course, is one of the fundamental principles not only of individual recovery but of the practices of OA as a whole. Such humility is apparent in the readiness with which OA members, groups, and service bodies have embraced the first paragraph of OA’s Unity … Continued
1992a (Amended 2013, 2021, 2023) The following policy statement was adopted:
“Unity with Diversity” Policy
THE FELLOWSHIP of Overeaters Anonymous encourages and promotes acceptance and inclusivity. All are welcome to join OA and are not excluded because of race, creed, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other attribute. We welcome all who share our compulsion. Everyone with the desire to stop eating compulsively is welcome in Overeaters Anonymous.
THE FELLOWSHIP recognizes the existence of individual approaches and different structured concepts to working our Twelve Step program of recovery; that the Fellowship is united by our disease and our common purpose; and that individual differences in approaches to recovery within our Fellowship need not divide us.
THE FELLOWSHIP respects the rights of members, groups, and service bodies to follow a particular concept of recovery within Overeaters Anonymous and encourages each member, group, and service body to respect those rights as they extend the hand of fellowship to those who still suffer.
THE FELLOWSHIP encourages each duly registered group and service body to affirm and maintain the Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous by allowing members to share their experience, strength, and hope in meetings regardless of the individual approach or specific concept that member may follow. Duly registered is defined as being in full compliance with Bylaws, Subpart B, Article V.
— OA Business Conference Policy Manual
1994b (Amended 2008, 2023) The following policy statement was adopted:
The Fellowship of Overeaters Anonymous recognizes the existence of specific-focus meetings (for a full list, see the oa.org Find a Meeting page) which have been formed of persons who can more readily identify with fellow members of Overeaters Anonymous with similar attributes. According to the Traditions, bylaws, and policies of OA, the only requirement for membership is the desire to stop eating compulsively; therefore, we ask each person attending a meeting to respect and consider the group conscience of the whole Fellowship and welcome and give a voice to any person who has the desire to stop eating compulsively.
— OA Business Conference Policy Manual
2021 (Amended 2023) The following policy statement was adopted:
Diverse Voices Policy
When developing new and updating existing literature published by Overeaters Anonymous World Service, the Literature committees will make a concerted effort to include stories and/or quotes from members of diverse populations that are underrepresented in OA.
— OA Business Conference Policy Manual
The following checklist for OA groups and service bodies is offered in the spirit of Overeaters Anonymous’ Third Tradition and the OA Unity with Diversity Policy statement. This checklist is not meant to be exhaustive, nor can it be. As we continue to grow, so does our understanding of diversity. These questions are only a starting point for reflection and discussion. We hope that newcomers who are used to “closed doors” can find not only a welcome in OA, but also a home if they wish. As OA’s Responsibility Pledge states: “Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this, I am responsible.”
In what ways do we welcome all who share our compulsion, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, culture, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other attribute?
What measures do we take to provide meeting access to OA members who have challenges such as mental or physical disabilities or illnesses, or those who have allergies? What about those who have small children or those who rely on public transportation?
How do we welcome members such as anorexics, bulimics, or those who have had weight-loss procedures? Do we welcome OA members in relapse as authentically as we welcome newcomers or any other members?
Does our group meeting format use the Unity with Diversity statement included in OA’s current Suggested Meeting Format?
Do we avoid suggesting that all OA members have the same issues with food, such as an addiction to specific foods, a need to weigh and measure, and so on?
How do we communicate to newcomers—and reinforce to all members—that Higher Power means a God of our individual understanding and is not specific to any particular religion, faith, or concept?
Do we respect each member’s way of practicing the OA Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in a manner best suited to their own needs?
Do we emphasize all three aspects of recovery (spiritual, emotional, and physical) equally, or do we focus only on one or two?
Does our OA literature table stock items that highlight our common solution through diversity, such as:
How do we reflect diversity when we conduct business meetings, elect trusted servants, or choose speakers and workshop leaders?
In what ways do we carry the OA message to groups who are currently underrepresented in the rooms? Speakers? Workshops? Specific-focus meetings? Other methods of attraction?
Having completed this checklist, what other areas can we examine in order to better “extend the hand and heart of OA” to all who share our compulsion?
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
