YSA Equity Statement

Created 1/25/2021

The goal for Yosemite Sierra Artists (YSA) is to create an environment for all artists to come together and find acceptance and a safe space irrelevant of race, gender, sexual orientation, or identity. By prioritizing attention to racial equity everyone will benefit, as racial injustice is the most pervasive and entrenched form of injustice permeating institutions and systems that everyone must access.

As an inclusive non-profit organization, Yosemite Sierra Artists is committed to racial equity and inclusion in our organization’s leadership, membership, and programming.

• We are committed to ensuring that every policy and program implemented reflects democratic principles of equity and justice.
• We understand that enacting policy in a just and equitable manner considers critical issues of implicit bias and discrimination that requires concerted and purposeful action.
• We believe that bringing together an executive board, members, and partners with differing backgrounds and life experiences will enhance our ability to increase opportunities for all of our programs to succeed.
• Policies, programs, and activities will be administered to identify and avoid discrimination and barriers to access, and to avoid disproportionately high and adverse effects on communities of color.

Building a race equity culture requires intention and effort. Led by our Racial Equity Statement, we will intentionally integrate race equity into every aspect of our operations and work toward the dismantling of structural racism wherever we encounter it and improving our art community for all.