Commissioner Vij discusses DEI plans and CUNY Cultural Corps
Vij credits former Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl, says CIG members adopted DEI plans, describes audits and pipeline programs, and notes CUNY Cultural Corps has placed over 1,100 students in paid internships.
Objective two in the Create NYC Action Plan was cultivate inclusive practices in the cultural sector.
I want to take a moment to recognize former Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl for heralding DEI within the cultural workforce as one of his primary policy agencies, which was not always an easy effort.
One of the signature outcomes.
comes with this Create NYC objective was requiring members of the CIG to adopt formal DEI plans.
Earlier this year, DCLA CIG team and myself had nearly 30 calls with members of the CIG to learn about the progress they've made on their plans in lieu of final reports.
They have done critical work from audits of hiring practices and anti-oppression trainings for staff and board to hiring senior level diversity officers and creating new pipeline programs for workers from diverse backgrounds.
It's clear that when DEI is prioritized consistently and over time, we see results.
We continue to see obstacles for cultural workers to advance into mid-career and leadership roles within institutions, and consequently, the Racial Equity Plan explicitly focuses goals on this part of the workforce.
The REP, Racial Equity Plan, recommits us to the CUNY Cultural Corps, which has placed over 1,100 CUNY students in paid internships at dozens of cultural institutions since it was first launched.
While it was launched before 2017, the Cultural Corps was able to receive long-term baseline funding thanks to Create NYC.