Black Lives Matter

In Omaha we have witnessed the killing of James Scurlock and how the white man who shot him walked free. We also witness the fact that the life span of many of our black community members in majority black neighborhoods is ten years less than the life span of many white community members in majority white neighborhoods. Or the fact that the medium income for black households in Omaha is $11,000 less than for white households. These facts (and myriad others), and the stories that surround them, need to be told, and need to be heard, in order for our community to change and move into a more equitable, just and compassionate world.

The GPTC has a history of supporting the dissemination of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) stories, and the artists who make and share those stories. It has also been founded, and thrived, within a local and national arts community that, while working to improve equity, has tolerated damaging aspects of systemic racism. As we begin our new journey as a nonprofit at this time of awakening in the world, we will work each day to fight systemic racism, both within our own organization, and within the communities that we serve.

 

Action

Three key action steps from our Cultural Equity statement:

  • The GPTC has 50% BIPOC representation on the board and vows to grow our board diversity.
  • As a currently all-white staff, with one full time and three part time members, we vow to increase our diversity until a standard of equity is achieved.
  • We vow to work with BIPOC and marginalized artists and community members with a focus that reflects our foundational commitment to diversity and equity.

 

 

 

 

Cultural Equity

To support a full creative life for all, the GPTC commits to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable nation.

 

DEFINITION OF CULTURAL EQUITY

Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure that all people—including but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion—are represented in the development of arts policy; the support of artists; the nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & AFFIRMATIONS

  • In the United States, there are systems of power that grant privilege and access unequally such that inequity and injustice result, and that must be continuously addressed and changed.
  • Cultural equity is critical to the long-term viability of the arts sector.
  • We must all hold ourselves accountable, because acknowledging and challenging our inequities and working in partnership is how we will make change happen.
  • Everyone deserves equal access to a full, vibrant creative life, which is essential to a healthy and democratic society.
  • The prominent presence of diverse artists helps to challenge inequities and encourages alternative models.

 

ACTION

To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, we vow to work towards…

  • The GPTC has 50% BIPOC representation on the board and vows to grow our board diversity.
  • As a currently all-white staff, with one full time and three part time members, we vow to increase our diversity until a standard of equity is achieved.
  • We vow to work with BIPOC and marginalized artists and community members with a focus that reflects our foundational commitment to diversity and equity.
  • Pursue cultural consciousness throughout our organization through substantive learning and formal, transparent policies.
  • Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and assess organizational progress on an annual basis.

 

FIELD PROGRESS

To pursue needed systemic change related to equity, we vow to…

  • Encourage substantive learning to build cultural consciousness and to advocate for pro-equity policies and practices by all of our constituencies and audiences.
  • Improve the cultural leadership pipeline by creating and supporting programs and policies that foster leadership that reflects the full breadth of American society.
  • Generate and aggregate quantitative and qualitative research related to equity to make incremental, measurable progress towards cultural equity.
  • Advocate for public and private-sector policy that promotes cultural equity.

 

This statement is built upon the cultural equity statement of Americans for the Arts.

 

Land Acknowledgement

The Great Plains Theatre Commons acknowledges that our organization, located on the banks of the Missouri River, is situated on land that is the homeland of the Ponca, Omaha, Pawnee and Otoe.  We pay respect to the Ponca, Omaha, Pawnee and Otoe peoples, elders, and their ancestors, past, present and future.

The Great Plains Theatre Commons pays respect to all Indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land throughout the generations, and to their ongoing contributions, culturally, intellectually, artistically and spiritually.