Anti-Racism Mission Statement

“Through The Arts, We Educate and Inspire Communities to Eradicate Racism and Create an Anti-Racist Society.” From Art Against Racism, USA

As a community organization, we commit to learning and responding to the needs of Indigenous, Black and People of Colour; we strive towards representation and diversity within the organization, for as long as it takes to see this equity represented; we build and develop actions and policies to combat racism and inequity within the organization’s scope.

Immediate Goals:

COMMUNICATE via website and social media the ways we are tackling Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion through programming (website update complete by November 2023)

– CACWL will create a respectful workplace by committing to engaging in personal and organizational education to challenge inherent biases and understand how longstanding systems have favored the settler-dominant culture and classes.  Initial ‘Board Education’ pathway selected by October 2023.

EDUCATION – options suggested by staff and board members;

- begins with foundational anti-racism training and then expands to broader issues (e.g., internal bias; Indigenous specific training; other BIPOC issues; gender identity; accessibility for differently abled; etc.)

- governance and organizational structure training needed to ameliorate roles and responsibilities of CACWL Board

CALL FOR DIRECTORS – include equity and diversity priorities in upcoming call for board and membership, communicating the organization’s commitment to representation, advocacy, and growth.

2024-2026

- Will strive to take measures that make the staff and board positions accessible to BIPOC and differently abled individuals.  This may require paid consultation, hiring panelists to advise the board, adding a second position to staff to promote more equitable management, and adjusting schedules and communications to suit BIPOC participants.

 GOALS:

- BEGIN ADVISORY PANELS: initiate round tables where cultural safety is a priority, proposing and asking permission of cultural workers, elders and leadership form Indigenous, black, brown and other people of colour to advise and advocate to CACWL on relevant issues pertaining to our programming and organizational structure.  When appropriate, panelists are paid for their consultation.

- INVEST IN MENTORING OR HIRING DIVERSE STAFF: what are the hurdles to hiring and what can be done to ameliorate CACWL’s ability to actively diversify our small staff.

2025-2027

- Acknowledge that this is a process-oriented policy that requires commitment, flexibility and listening. Respectful interactions like ‘calling-in’ and holding others accountable to change. It is all too easy for those who do not experience it to deny the reality of racism. This is counterproductive and damaging to our social fabric. Racial discrimination and racism must be acknowledged as a pervasive and continuing reality as a starting point to assessing how we address it and move forward.

GOALS:

-Review and renew organizational documents, policies and practices every two to three years, updating and applying needed changes – education builds capacity to act on new information, ameliorating guiding principles and actions in our work in the community.