Racial Equity Statement
This statement will guide us in our continued pursuit of racial equity within our organization and county, enable us to purposefully address and dismantle systemic racism, and provide better arts engagement and opportunities in our communities. Through this racial equity statement, we are recommitting our organization to this policy and vow to address any deficiencies in our commitment to equitable inclusion.
ICA is committed to racial equity both within our work environment and our programming. We recently recommitted to diversify our Board of Directors by actively seeking out and inviting BIPOC voices to join our organization. By engaging peoples of differing backgrounds and life experiences, we will enhance our programming, enthusiastically providing opportunities for ALL to participate in the arts.
We understand that as a rural arts organization operating on now occupied traditional and present Paiute Shoshone lands, we must continue to make a concerted effort to enhance and amplify Indigenous voices, to strengthen and preserve creative practices and to better engage and represent our entire community.
ICA pledges to engage, amplify, and represent all populations served in Inyo County, particularly those groups that have been historically pushed to the margins, including populations served and/or affected by race, color, national origin, tribal communities, racially and ethnically diverse individuals, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities that have principal languages other than English, including but not limited to our larger Latinx population and Paiute Indigenous peoples.
We also understand the need to continually revise and update this statement to ensure that all decisions and policies reflect a strict pursuit of equity, to avoid discrimination and barriers to access, and to maintain equitable practices throughout our entire organization.
Land Acknowledgment
We would like to formally acknowledge that our organization is located on the ancestral lands of the Numu and Newe People, in the land known as Payahǖǖnadǖ, the “land of flowing water”.