Words are inadequate. Glass House Collective recognizes the sadness, anger, and exhaustion that many Black, brown, and indigenous people feel right now. We continue to listen to our neighbors, staff, and community partners and stand with the Black community in this moment as we mourn the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and too many others.
We are living through turmoil, from a pandemic to racial injustice. We are losing lives every day to a pandemic and it’s hit communities of color even harder. We anticipate the day when a vaccine provides relief and lets us return to our daily lives. But there is no vaccine for systemic racism. Now is the time to commit to uplifting and amplifying Black voices. Now is the time to take action towards dismantling the culture where racism continues to thrive.
For 400 years, systemic racism has persisted – intertwined with institutions, nonprofits, organizations, businesses, governments, and our personal relationships. Glass House Collective takes ownership of our own implicit bias and privilege in this work. We recognize that we have not always gotten it right, but at Glass House Collective we are committed to establishing a culture of equity and justice with both our staff and board. This moment of pain and grief offers us an opportunity to focus on what’s important and fight for a better future.
In that spirit, together we are committed to:
- Be honest about our failures and will hold ourselves accountable both internally and externally;
- Invest in racial equity training for GHC leadership;
- Develop racial equity principles for the organization;
- Create strategies and actions to advance our work in social practice art and racial equity, and
- Continue to listen and use art and our collective community work as a tool for social justice.
We are Glass House Collective, a collective of community members and partners. We care about each and every one of you. We are here to listen, grieve, love, and envision a better world together. This week, Black and white residents in our neighborhood created and distributed Black Lives Matter yard signs. This community-led effort is a powerful example of the future we are working towards and a reminder that we are better together. We hope you will join us on this journey of continuous learning and striving to create a more inclusive world.
Together, step by step, we can do this.
In solidarity,
The Glass House Collective Board and Staff
Carlos Hampton | Annette Allen | Vanessa Jackson | Jared Hueter | Logan Threadgill |
Blake DeFoor | Kevin Smith | John McCabe | Teal Thibaud | Erika Roberts |
Mary Barnett | Lynesha Lake | Tara Poole
