Cracked Walnut
Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Charter
Download a copy here:
| Diversity and Inclusion Charter - 12/2019 update |
Cracked Walnut Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Charter
Draft date 12-05-19
Our mission is to create new bridges among writers, writing communities and audiences
through diverse and inclusive literary events and services.
What diversity, inclusion, and equity mean to us:
• Diversity is the presence of difference within a given setting. It encompasses the differences
in culture, gender, sexual orientation, sexual expression, regional nuances, ethnicity,
economic background, religious beliefs, diversity of thought, skills, marital status, family
composition, education, experience, generational diversity, and abilities.
• Inclusion is about people with different identities being valued, leveraged, and welcomed.
It’s the act of bringing people together in spite of our differences. In the wise words of
longtime DEI educator Verna Myers: “Diversity is being asked to the party. Inclusion is being
asked to dance.”
• Equity is a value and a continual process that acknowledges life advantages and barriers.
Equity seeks to ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities by addressing
advantages and barriers.
Our commitments to diversity, inclusion, and equity:
• Support diverse voices, especially ones that don’t normally get heard.
• Foster diverse audiences
• Bring diversity and inclusion to the community and to ourselves
• Form a diverse board of leadership within Cracked Walnut
• Foster sensitivity and awareness of diversity and inclusion
What we’re doing to live up to our commitments:
• Welcoming diversity in our audiences.
• Inviting diversity in our readers who perform at our events
• Forming relationships with other organizations that advocate and champion diversity
• Bringing poetry to schools
• Bringing poetry to senior citizens
• Publishing writing that uplifts our diversity and inclusion principals
• Maintaining a list of best practices
How we hold ourselves accountable for this charter:
• Making our diversity and inclusion charter available to the public
• Reviewing the charter and group activities on an ongoing basis to ensure our actions match
our vision
• Seeking feedback from others on the charter and how we are living up to our commitments
• Continually asking ourselves:
- How diverse are we as an organization? (Including board and personnel)
- How diverse is Cracked Walnut as an arts community? (include readers, members and
audience).
- How diverse is the greater creative writing community? (the state of diversity in MN
poetry as a whole)
- How can we contribute to increasing diversity, inclusion, and equity?
Draft date 12-05-19
Our mission is to create new bridges among writers, writing communities and audiences
through diverse and inclusive literary events and services.
What diversity, inclusion, and equity mean to us:
• Diversity is the presence of difference within a given setting. It encompasses the differences
in culture, gender, sexual orientation, sexual expression, regional nuances, ethnicity,
economic background, religious beliefs, diversity of thought, skills, marital status, family
composition, education, experience, generational diversity, and abilities.
• Inclusion is about people with different identities being valued, leveraged, and welcomed.
It’s the act of bringing people together in spite of our differences. In the wise words of
longtime DEI educator Verna Myers: “Diversity is being asked to the party. Inclusion is being
asked to dance.”
• Equity is a value and a continual process that acknowledges life advantages and barriers.
Equity seeks to ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities by addressing
advantages and barriers.
Our commitments to diversity, inclusion, and equity:
• Support diverse voices, especially ones that don’t normally get heard.
• Foster diverse audiences
• Bring diversity and inclusion to the community and to ourselves
• Form a diverse board of leadership within Cracked Walnut
• Foster sensitivity and awareness of diversity and inclusion
What we’re doing to live up to our commitments:
• Welcoming diversity in our audiences.
• Inviting diversity in our readers who perform at our events
• Forming relationships with other organizations that advocate and champion diversity
• Bringing poetry to schools
• Bringing poetry to senior citizens
• Publishing writing that uplifts our diversity and inclusion principals
• Maintaining a list of best practices
How we hold ourselves accountable for this charter:
• Making our diversity and inclusion charter available to the public
• Reviewing the charter and group activities on an ongoing basis to ensure our actions match
our vision
• Seeking feedback from others on the charter and how we are living up to our commitments
• Continually asking ourselves:
- How diverse are we as an organization? (Including board and personnel)
- How diverse is Cracked Walnut as an arts community? (include readers, members and
audience).
- How diverse is the greater creative writing community? (the state of diversity in MN
poetry as a whole)
- How can we contribute to increasing diversity, inclusion, and equity?