Arts and culture help spark conversations, spur social change and make our community strong. But too many of our residents – including communities of color, immigrants and refugees, and people with disabilities – experience vast disparities in terms of access to publicly funded services, including arts and culture. RACC is committed to ensuring that everyone in our region has equal access to arts and the fundamental right to express their culture through the arts.

Tackling the issue of equity and inclusion requires commitment, respect, patience, determination, and flexibility. It also requires knowledge, and this page was designed to share information and resources with those who want to be part of this important work. If you have questions to ask or additional resources to share, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us at info@racc.org.

EQUITY STATEMENT

(Approved February, 2015)

We believe that the arts have the power to change hearts and minds, and to inspire social change. Prejudice and privilege have created barriers that RACC must dismantle, systematically and strategically, until everyone in our community has equitable access to arts and culture.

We acknowledge that there is no one perfect way to achieve equity, but we are willing to take risks because there is much work to do. We are thoughtfully researching and implementing new methods of thinking within our organizational culture, starting with an in-depth assessment of our services, policies and procedures. We are seeking out and listening to voices that have not been heard, and fully engaging under-represented populations in dialogue that will help us improve.

We are committed to the full scope of this work and will hold ourselves accountable along the way—anything less would prove a disservice to ourselves and the communities we serve. RACC strives to be an organization that values and celebrates everyone’s life experiences, their voices and their histories. By consistently bringing new perspectives to our decision-making table, forming new relationships and alliances, and finding new ways to support creativity, RACC will be a strong, equitable and relevant organization. Throughout this process, we commit to humility, optimism and respect.