We’ve Signed The More Than A Moment Pledge
We’ve signed up for the More Than A Moment Pledge – here’s why.
Since 1997, Black Country Touring has strived to make access to the arts easier in the region and break down social, financial and racial barriers to experiencing amazing performances. We enable people of all backgrounds to be the decision-makers, choosing the performances and events that take place in their neighbourhoods. Reflecting the diversity of the region’s communities and cultures – which are such a key part of making it a special place – is at the heart of what we do, through our work with Community Promoters, schools and our home-grown productions.
We have been rated ‘outstanding’ by Arts Council for our contribution to the Creative Case for Diversitytwo years running. And yet, we know we need to do more. Like many working the arts, we were shocked, saddened and angered by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Belly Mujinga and many others, and inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement to examine our own work, organisational structures and unconscious biases. Above all we are listening to Black artists and practitioners and taking decisive action.
To help us realise the essential changes that need to happen, we have committed to Culture Central’s More Than A Moment pledge, which is the West Midlands arts sector’s promise to:
Take radical, bold, and immediate action, to dismantle the systems that have for too long kept Black artists and creatives from achieving their potential in the arts and cultural industries. By signing up to the pledge, we promise that as we build our organisation and the wider sector in a world forever changed by a global pandemic, we will do so in a way that can never again perpetuate the systems that stop Black people from thriving within the sector.
We are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring equity, investment in, and opportunities with and for Black artists and creatives within our organisation’s culture and work. Some of the recent steps we’ve made include:
Forming an Equity, Access & Inclusion working group, which will consist of Board members, staff and external advisors, to review the organisation’s recruitment processes, business plan, programmes and communications, to ensure that lasting and effective strategic changes are implemented;
The whole team has taken part in Unconscious Bias training, to better understand how our perceptions, decisions and interactions can be guided by inherited or learned bias, often without us realising;
A full review of our recruitment process and the creation of new roles to ensure that the organisation reflects the communities it serves, and provides opportunities for professionals from underrepresented communities to work with us;
Ensure the strategic partnerships and regional groups we are a part of commit to reflecting the region’s diversity and create opportunities for under-represented artists and arts professionals;
Work with our Community Promoters to promote more theatre, dance and film that is created by Black artists and practitioners.
Systemic change is a long-term process and will only happen with a genuine ongoing commitment from the whole of the arts sector, funders and government. We’ll provide ongoing updates on the action we’re taking via our blog, but please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss further.