We took the Arts for Anti-Racism Pledge.
Not just another diversity pledge.
The Arts for Anti-Racism Pledge is an initiative by the City of New Haven’s Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism to “amplify voices of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) in arts and cultural organizations.” This pledge commits us to changing internal culture to not only include open discourse on race and racism, but also address racism when it happens, to seek out and provide a space for art that is focused on racial justice, to identify and dismantle policies and practices that create barriers for BIPOC leadership, to actively employ, support, and present works by more BIPOC artists, to address issues of accessibility, to offer more participatory programming for the community, and to learn, understand, and acknowledge the history of our organization’s relationship with and impact on BIPOC communities and make sure that knowledge informs our programming decisions in the future. (More information available at togethernewhaven.com/pledge.)
We take this commitment to heart.
Access and equity have always been at the center of Music Haven’s mission. As a free program, and one that provides the support necessary for all students to have the chance to not only play music but also study one-on-one over many years with exceptional teachers, we recognize that simply meeting financial needs doesn’t achieve access or equity. Our work as an arts organization is about pushing beyond access and equity to create a space of liberation for our students, their families, and everyone in our Music Haven community. It requires acknowledging white supremacy and addressing racism within our organization and beyond. Here are a few of the steps we’ve taken in the last year:
Our Board and Staff participated in Keeping Accountable to Liberation and Equity (KALE) by Co-Creating Effective and Inclusive Organizations (CEIO) to “clarify, name, and activate liberation & equity” within our organization.
The Haven String Quartet’s concert programming was reinvented with not only a commitment to playing works by underrepresented composers and composers of color, but also to spotlighting and supporting local artists and musicians from within our Music Haven community.
Our teachers have developed and deepened culturally responsive curricula and repertoire. A new hiring policy prioritizes Music Haven family members and alumni, and since then, 100% of new hires have come through this community-based hiring practice.
Music Haven promotes from within and creates a more inclusive and accessible vision for succession planning and leadership development.