To the BCA Board of Advisors
Please note, this letter was originally sent to the Burlington City Arts Board of Advisors on
Subject: To the BCA Board of Advisors
To the BCA Board of Advisors:
I write this letter, first, with gratitude. Thank you to each and every person who listened to my ideas and who supports the mission of equity and inclusion at BCA to the best of their abilities. Thank you to the friends I made. Thank you to the staff who integrate equity principals throughout their departments. Thank you to BCA.
Second, from a place of exhaustion and deep, festering frustration. For my entire 2.5 years on the Board I have been trying to convey everything I am about to put in writing.
Yes, you heard me; but were you listening? I don’t feel that the vast majority of the Board was. So please understand that my tone henceforth is not angry, but exhausted.
On that note, I am listing my recommendations below.
Equity and Belonging Committee
Dismantle it. Scrap the entire group and start over. The intent was good. The execution was not great. We spent the entire year discussing how to logistically run this group. The Board needs to have a discussion about how this group will operate, come up with a charge, set tangible goals, and THEN assemble a group of individuals who can properly execute the tasks at hand. All of the administrative bows should be tied by the time this group begins work again. This will allow the new committee to move forward without these trivial issues consistently serving as roadblocks.
Which brings me to my next point: the new committee. It should be composed of individuals who have an emotional stake in the conversation at hand. A lot of time is spent advocating for things that would not have to be conveyed to individuals that already exist in marginalized communities. No one has to explain to me how to make a person of color feel welcomed in new environments because I live through that experience everyday. No one has to convince someone who suffers from mental illness that having a safe, quiet way to experience visual art matters. They live through these experiences everyday. No one has to convince a deaf or mute person that ASL interpreters are vital to their existence in this world. They live these experiences everyday.
Thus, I recommend reaching out to the public to find local artists (and community members) who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, covered by the American Disabilities Act, or members of other marginalized groups. From what I understand from our bylaws, committee members do not have to be members of the Board. This is the one place BCA must lean on that clause and recruit a more diverse body of individuals to provide input and ensure that BCA follows through with the action they claim to want.
Respectfully: the cis-caucasians can stay, but only as allies. It dawned on me shortly before I stepped down from the position of Chair that I am having to advocate so hard for the same things over and over again because the vast majority of the people I’m speaking to do not and cannot embody the emotion I feel when I speak about these issues. I understand that there are individuals interested in learning, and that is GREAT! It is the key to a more equitable future. However, I do not agree that this committee should be focussed on that. Please continue to act as an ally in these spaces. You are needed in the fight! But you have to let the people who are directly affected by these issues take the lead -
Attracting a Younger Demographic
I’m going to lead with this because it is undoubtedly the number one issue I have yelled from the mountaintops for the past 2.5 years: stop meeting in the middle of the workday for very long periods of time. This does not work for working millennials (or anyone with a traditional work schedule, for that matter). It does not work for Gen Z who is either working or is in college. It certainly does not perpetuate the idea of attracting a younger demographic to the Board (which has been stated as a goal multiple times), nor making the Board more equitable.
I am not recommending that all BCA meetings take place after 7pm or on a weekend. I am asking for BCA to do a survey, at least annually, to find out if committee meetings and other BCA meeting times are working for your members. I think you would be surprised with the information you find.
Instead of asking if newcomers can make BCA’s meeting times, ask what time they are available to meet. PS if there is a point in this where I can insert a plug for a long, serious, and determinative conversation about the Board member application, I guess it will be now. The “everyone does it but it’s your choice” rhetoric around Board Giving needs to die, but I don’t have time to die on that hill tonight.
I am also asking leadership and Chairs to be cognizant of their members during meetings. If you are in a meeting with twelve people, and four cannot verbally communicate or participate in the meeting because of work: that is a sign. If you barely have a quorum because most of your members are at work: that’s a sign. BCA has been practicing many almost ritualistic principles since the dawn of the organization. This meeting schedule is one of those things. It’s time to at least evaluate.
Opening BCA to a More Diverse Audience
Universal scholarships are very important. BCA is one of the few non-profit organizations with that level of financial assistance. I commend the organization for the one page application and the funding to back it up. However, the more important issues are the ones that hold back a more diverse population beyond the financial ability to participate.
Those are the people I am advocating for.
I am getting long-winded so I will just say: more partnerships with organizations who serve our populations is key. At some point the current Equity & Belonging Committee made a list of possible partners. This can be used for everything from diversifying the artist directory to broadening the newsletter/social media reach. However, I want to make it known that I do not want that list to be used to peddle targeted marketing schemes. Ie: only to promote race based initiatives. Instead, please incorporate the contacts you make into the marketing tactics you already have.
Funding
Finally, funding. Everything in this world costs. Every interpreter, every hour of your staff’s time. And now, even the time Board members spend during meetings - I think this is awesome! It is also indicative of changing times. For this reason, I recommend BCA set aside funds each year for Equity and Belonging. This money should go to pay interpreters (ASL included), ADA tech assistance during meetings (live and virtual), members of the public who volunteer to serve on the committee for Equity & Belonging, etc. This mission will not move without money.
I recommend you raise these funds by adding a giving category to the Board giving form, allowing people to round up their donations (website and otherwise), and advertising separately on social media for this effort.
My Wishlist for the Future of BCA (5 Years Max)
ASL/Other Language Interpreters at Live and Virtual Events
Busses to and from BCA to local schools (after school)
50% more engagements from a diverse audience at BCA
Hire or contract an ADA Coordinator for events and day-to-day operations
25% of all meetings after 5pm
Equity and Belonging Committee annual reports - Statistical, Professional Audits
In short, I need every member of this Board to get real. Currently, from a minority perspective, the Board of Advisors at Burlington City Arts feels like a group of white puppeteers who control millions of dollars and dole it out to the communities of their choice every year, and that needs to change. It has to change from within. I think this organization is more equitable than some, but I think the consistent perpetuation of out of date principles is holding back progression. It needs to end.
Best.
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