Supporting Cultural Equity

Adopted at the 86th Annual Meeting in 2018

  • WHEREAS, cultural equity is defined by the Americans for the Arts as policies and practices that embody the values 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; and

    WHEREAS, 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; and

    WHEREAS, we must all hold ourselves accountable, because acknowledging and challenging our inequities and working in partnership is how we will make change happen; and

    WHEREAS, cities that adopt policies and practices of cultural equity are shown to empower people to create a more just, inclusive, equitable cities and support for a full creative life for all; and

    WHEREAS, cultural equity is critical to the long-term viability of the arts sector; and

    WHEREAS, everyone deserves equal access to a full, vibrant creative life, which is essential to a healthy and democratic society; and

    WHEREAS, the prominent presence of artists challenges inequities and encourages alternatives; and

    WHEREAS, inclusion is one of the three pillars guiding the work of the US Conference of Mayors under the leadership of Columbia Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin;

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors support and promote cultural equity and encourage substantive learning to build cultural consciousness and to proliferate pro-equity policies and practices.
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