On Tuesday, MAEA stood in solidarity with those protesting police brutality and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and every other black life lost. We paused our advocacy for arts education and helped to amplify those whose voices are silenced by white supremacy.
We also reflected on our own work relating to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Following the direction of NAEA, the MAEA Board of Directors began this work last summer, but we have been working too slowly. The MAEA Board of Directors recognizes that we need to do better. In order to best serve the students and art educators of Massachusetts, we must do better.
In the coming days, MAEA will be updating our website to include resources related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The MAEA Board of Directors are also in the process of hiring a consultant to help us with the work of making our organization inclusive. In the future we will do trainings around antiracist practices. We will be seeking educators to join us in this work and recognize this work requires labor, consistency and accountability.
I invite you to visit our social media accounts for the work we amplified on Tuesday and most importantly, I invite you to view the tribute in honor of George Floyd and every other black life lost on the Black Lives Matter website.
In Solidarity,
Melissa Mastrolia
MAEA President
On Behalf of the MAEA Board of Directors
Definitions of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Developed & Approved by NAEA Board
Equity: Refers to conditions that support fairness and justness based on individual needs and circumstances whereas all members have opportunities to thrive and realize their best within the NAEA community (adopted December 2017).
Diversity: The term ‘diversity’ describes both observable and non-observable individual differences (life experiences, work context, learning and working styles, personality types among others) and group/social differences (race, gender identity and expression, age, social class, country of origin, ability, beliefs, intellectual and cultural perspectives, among others) that can contribute to organizational vibrancy and a dynamic professional community.
Inclusion: The term ‘inclusion’ describes proactive, intentional, and thoughtful engagement with diversity to the extent that all have the ability to contribute fully and effectively throughout the NAEA community.
