Our Racial Equity Journey
Working to invest financial, programmatic, and informational resources equitably.
Mass Cultural Council Racial Equity Journey
Michael J. Bobbitt Receives 2022 Action Bearing Award from MassOpera
Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael J. Bobbitt was honored by MassOpera as the recipient of the 2022 Action Bearing Award, recognizing his advocacy and activism towards the development of a cultural sector that is more equitable, just, representative, and anti-racist.
Mass Cultural Council Receives NASAA 2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Agency Award
Our field’s highest honor for a state arts agency demonstrating innovative and exceptional efforts to support and advance DEI in its state (Image: Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael J. Bobbitt receives award with Deputy Director, Dave Slatery and Director of People and Culture, Cathy Cheng-Anderson.)
Racial Equity Progress Report (June – Aug ’22)
A quarterly report on our anti-racism work, including internal and external steps we are taking. (Image: Child participates in Brand Out with C1, an event hosted by Company One Theatre.)
Expanding the Leadership Pipeline for BIPOC Talent Across the Cultural Sector
Agency invests in NAACBoston’s Mentorship & Sponsorship Program 2.0 (Image: 2022 Mentorship & Sponsorship Program participants laughing.)
Cultural Equity Learning Community 2.0 Launched
We are pleased to partner with the Co-Directors of Arts Connect International (ACI) on launching the Cultural Equity Learning Community 2.0 (CELC 2.0), an asynchronous anti-racism course, this summer. CELC 2.0 was developed by ACI to support our arts and culture ecosystem — and its leadership — in progressing equitable practices.
Mass Cultural Council is providing financial support for up to 1,000 Massachusetts artists and cultural sector leaders to attend this training series in FY23.
Michael J. Bobbitt & Mass Cultural Council Honored by Empower Success Corps
They received the ESC Nonprofit Impact Leadership Award for committing to advancing racial equity and increasing support for under-resourced organizations. (Image: Mass Cultural Council Chair Nina Fialkow, Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael J. Bobbitt, ESC President Julie Crockford, and Mass Cultural Council Vice-Chair Marc Carroll.)
Racial Equity Progress Report (Apr – May ’22)
A quarterly report on our anti-racism work, including internal and external steps we are taking. (Image: ‘Wakpa’ Wheatpaste Mural at Tufts University Art Gallery. )
Anti-Racism Policy for Employees Unveiled
Mass Cultural Council unveiled an Anti-Racism Policy for Employees as a step forward to cultivating an anti-racist workplace.
$975,000 Awarded to 51 AAPI Organizations for Pandemic Recovery
This legislatively-mandated, one-time relief program was established by the MA House Asian Caucus. (Image: Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy in Malden.)
Racial Equity Progress Report (Jan – Mar 22)
A quarterly report on our anti-racism work, including internal and external steps we are taking. (Image: Drawing class in an Armenian Museum gallery)
Racial Equity Progress Report (Oct 21 – Jan 22)
A quarterly report on our anti-racism work, including internal and external steps we are taking. (Image: Dot Art participant holding a rock painted with the words “You are beautiful as you are.”)
Meet the BIPOC Outreach Coordinators
These four engagement enthusiasts are help the Agency form new relationships and surface unmet community needs. (Image (l-r): Tran Vu, Erika Slocumb, Erin Genia, and Ana Masacote )
Introducing Our Cultural Equity & Access Initiatives Team
Working closely with our Executive Director, this new team will work – internally and externally – to advance the Agency’s equity, access, and inclusion goals. (Image, left-right: Catherine Cheng-Anderson, Director of People & Culture; Charles G. Baldwin, Access & Inclusion Program Officer; Cheyenne Cohn-Postell, Equity & Inclusion Program Officer.)
Race Equity Action Plan Launched
With the release of our first-ever Racial Equity Plan, Mass Cultural Council commits to doing the ongoing and long-term work of being both a racially equitable and anti-racist Agency. (Image: Racial Equity Plan cover, featuring a still image from the film “Drip Like Coffee” by Anaiis Cisco, Mass Cultural Council 2021 Film & Video Finalist.)
In Pursuit of Equity: Four Case Studies of State Arts Agencies
The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) released In Pursuit of Equity: Four Case Studies of State Arts Agencies, a report that describes how state arts agencies in four states—California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and South Carolina—have integrated equity principles across multiple aspects of their work. (Image: Cover art for In Pursuit of Equity)
