Claude McNeal Productions is committed to working with the arts and cultural community to cultivate a sector that serves, celebrates, and values every resident of Indianapolis. We envision a city where engagement in the arts is not pre-determined by socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
Claude McNeal Productions believes Black lives matter. We stand in solidarity with all who are fighting against systemic racism, racial injustice, police brutality, white supremacy, hate, and hate crimes. We support protests, including artistic expression, to inform meaningful change, action, understanding, healing, and unity to drive our community forward.
Claude McNeal Productions stands with our Black artists and arts leaders.
- We will support Indy’s Black artists. We need them more than ever to help imagine a different world.
- We will support our Black arts and cultural organizations. And we will support all arts and cultural organizations that are working as allies and advocates.
- We will use the words Black Lives Matter. Words matter. We will be specific.
We believe:
- Everyone has cultural traditions that are inherently valuable.
- All artists, creative workers, audiences, and students should have full access to the robust creative arts resources of our community and in which their varied histories, voices, and life experiences are honored.
- All Arts & Cultural programs MUST unite arts organizations and artists with diverse populations in our community to nurture a community where every resident sees themselves as belonging, learning, and participating in the arts sector.
- Artists play a unique role in challenging inequities and inspiring human understanding, justice and opportunity for all.
- Cultural equity embodies the values, beliefs, policies and practices that ensure all people are represented in the development of the arts.
We acknowledge:
- Systemic, inequitable access to opportunity has led to generations of unjust outcomes for those who have been historically marginalized in mainstream arts and cultural discourse, leadership and resource allocation.
- Inequity – based on, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geography, educational status, ability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, immigrant status, language, family structure and physical appearance – must be continually addressed and changed.
- Cultural equity is critical to the long-term viability of the arts and cultural sector.
We will:
- Champion policies and practices that empower an inclusive and equitable community to support the role of all arts providers in achieving cultural equity.
- Embed a commitment to cultural equity in all CMP programs, governance and administrative policies and practices.
- Invest in cultural competency training for staff, board, volunteers and other key stakeholders.
- Expand the diversity of leadership within our board, staff, volunteers and advisory bodies.
- Commit to continual agency-wide honest reflection, dialogue and evaluation about diversity, inclusion and equity that leads to organizational change.
The Equity Statement was approved by the CMP Board on July 7, 2020