Our Internal Work
In July 2020, the We Are A.R.T./New York Coalition published a letter detailing racial injustices taking place at our organization. The subsequent leadership transition has been one critical piece of a much larger, longer, and more holistic process, which even in its early stages has seen us take steps forward, and also steps back. The Coalition, a group of current and former staff, has already provided a significant amount of labor and continues to model brave leadership as we begin identifying and dismantling the systemically racist structures embedded in our organization. Through the formation of Ethics and Accountability Committees at the Staff and Board levels, A.R.T./New York is currently examining our internal practices through the lens of our newly updated Values so that we may begin the process of innovating and rebuilding our organization in a more equitable way. This process will be multi-faceted and never-ending, but it will include, among other things a full audit of A.R.T./New York’s current internal and external practices, including:- Our hiring practices
- Internal work culture
- Staffing structures
- Member facing program offerings.
Since July 27, 2020 we have been supported by a team of facilitators led by Alexandra Meda, who have been vital partners in the process thus far. We have pledged to our stakeholders, including our membership, to work together through a transparent and collaborative process, and we will continue to provide our community with detailed updates on our progress as it continues to evolve.