Accessibility, Belonging, Justice
Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts is committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging and justice. People of all ages, abilities, religions, spiritual practices and lived experiences are welcome here. We advocate for decolonization, racial justice and systems change. We believe that Black Lives Matter and stand in solidarity with Asian and Pacific Islander Communities. We recognize and respect LGBTQIA2S+ people, families, and communities and uphold safe and supported expression of gender identity. We honor the Earth and the Indigenous communities that have fostered the balance of natural habitats for generations. We exist in solidarity with all who seek to make fundamental and lasting change to our collective future. Thank you for being a part of our community and the transformational impact we aspire to accomplish together.
Keshet will maintain accountability to address systemic racism and root causes of inequity through ongoing examination of all internal and external practices, policies, programs, operations, communications, and spaces. Keshet will maintain an ongoing commitment to learning, growing, and improving ourselves and the world we live, work, and create in through a specifically and intentionally anti-racist, equity-based lens.
Keshet DEI-ABJ Roles/Activities
DEI-ABJ Committee: Committee of the Keshet Board made up of Keshet board members, staff, and community stakeholders. Purpose to help sustain and enrich Keshet’s DEI-ABJ work, organizationally, and support the short and long-term goals laid out in the strategic plan, including maintaining active integration of anti-racism, equity, and social justice lens for organizational and programmatic initiatives.
DEI-ABJ Coordinator: The DEI-ABJ Coordinator’s role is to advance Keshet’s mission and support Keshet’s programming and operations by working closely with Keshet’s Leadership Team to “Maintain active integration of anti-racism, equity, and social justice lens for organizational and programmatic initiatives,” as identified in Keshet’s current strategic plan.
Personal Learning Series: Conversations held monthly (or every other month depending on circumstances) driven by staff and coordinated by the DEI-ABJ Coordinator, sharing topics and resources for personal learning in different areas of social justice and equity. These conversations might be facilitated by DEI-ABJ Coordinator, other Keshet staff, or outside partners depending on topics and expertise.
Professional Development Opportunities: Professional Development opportunities are connected with programming and administration goals, and may occasionally connect/align with specific DEI-ABJ Personal Learnings and/or stem from ideas generated by the DEI-ABJ Committee. DEI-ABJ training opportunities may be led by Keshet staff, outside partners, or via cross-training opportunities.
Organizational Conversations: Occasional conversations driven by the DEI-ABJ Committee focused on organizational policies and practices being addressed in support of the strategic plans and Keshet’s goals for maintaining active integration of anti-racism, equity, and social justice lens for organizational and programmatic initiatives.
DEI-ABJ Resource Sharing & Library: Resources (both for personal and organizational learning) on different topics around anti-racism, social justice, and equity are actively sought and shared via an online and physical Resource Library, coordinated by the DEI-ABJ Coordinator.
Relationship Building and Partnerships: Driven by Keshet Leadership, the members of the DEI-ABJ Committee and in collaboration with the DEI-ABJ Coordinator; develop respectful relationships with community members, legislative representatives and organizational partners to foster a sense of trust and set the groundwork for future collaborations.
DEI-ABJ Committee
What is it?
Keshet’s DEI-ABJ Committee is a working group of diverse board, staff, and community members who will help support the short and long-term goals of, and sustain and enrich, Keshet’s DEI-ABJ work.
Who’s invited?
Participation in Keshet’s DEI-ABJ Committee is volunteer-based and open to anyone who cares deeply about DEI-ABJ work and who wants to support sustainable, positive change at Keshet by serving as community visionaries and accountability partners. Ideally the Committee will consist of cross-functional and multi-leveled representation of Keshet’s board, staff and community demographics.
Commitment:
Committee members will meet every other month for 1-1.5 hours, depending on organizational needs. Additionally, there may be opportunities to support special projects or discussions outside of regular meetings.
Purpose:
1.) Big Picture Accountability to Keshet’s Strategic Plan
The Committee will focus on aligning Keshet’s DEI-ABJ efforts with the wider organizational goals, vision, and mission.
The Committee is responsible for helping bring about and supporting the cultural, and possibly ethical, changes necessary to support Keshet’s Strategic Plan; namely, to maintain active integration of anti-racism, equity, and social justice lens for organizational and programmatic initiatives.
This includes assessing the subcategories below, determining productive, proactive and realistic action items and supporting the implementation of action items.
Subcategories:
- Maintain a safe and active space for dialogue and the sharing of ideas and differing opinions around the organizational understanding of and commitment to anti-racism, equity, and social justice
- Enhance ongoing evaluation of teaching curriculum and practices to integrate organizational learning and equity-based lens and practices
- Examine, analyze and improve data and program evaluation models – both internal and external – to support equitable programming, equitable data, and anti-racist practices
- Increase opportunities for staff-wide professional development
- Establish method of accountability and a safe space/process for folx to share concerns/ideas/experiences
2.) Data Tools & Equity Assessment
The Committee will review compiled data to identify organizational challenges and opportunities specific to DEI-ABJ and will help build policy to support DEI-ABJ initiatives informed by this data.
3.) Relationship Building & Communication
The Committee will help develop intentional internal and external community relationships and partnerships. The Committee will communicate the committee’s presence, progress, accomplishments, and contributions throughout the organization and community with transparency.
The committee also serves to ensure accountability for the full Keshet team and to act as a safe space for individuals from any specific community (i.e. BIPOC, Mixed Ability, LGBTQIA+, system-impacted) to have a place to address issues, concerns, or experiences that need a sounding board with an intention for ongoing improvement to the Keshet community and experiences.
4.) Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
The Committee will help foster wider accountability and engagement with DEI-ABJ values, commitments, and goals throughout the entire organization. This includes driving organizational conversations and decision-making for policies and practices that may need to be reviewed or created with an anti-racist and equity-based lens. The committee also supports accountability to new policies, practices, and procedures, through regular equity assessments and as a space for sharing and reflection.
Please be aware that addressing organizational issues that are created by systemic racism, oppression, the unequal distribution of power, and longstanding inequities can be hard, highly complex, and emotionally taxing work. The work of the Committee is ongoing and is always in process. The application of Mindfulness tools specific to Anti-Racism and Social Justice Activism is recommended and encouraged.