EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION STATEMENT

At Vital Opera a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where all employees, independent contractors, vendors, and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability, feel valued and respected. We are committed to a nondiscriminatory approach and provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement in all of our departments, programs, and worksites. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard. We recognize the leadership of Opera America in the field of professional opera and subscribe to their definitions of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, Vital Opera strives to:

• See diversity, inclusion, and equity as connected to our mission and critical to ensure the well-being of our staff and the arts communities we serve.
• Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and continually update and report organization progress.
• Explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness.
• Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact our organization’s work, and how best to address that in a way that is consistent with our mission.
• Help to challenge assumptions about what it takes to be a strong leader at our organization, and who is well-positioned to provide leadership.
• Practice and encourage transparent communication in all interactions.
• Commit time and resources to expand more diverse leadership within our board, staff, committee, and advisory bodies.
• Lead with respect and tolerance. We expect all employees, contractors, and volunteers to embrace this notion and to express it in workplace interactions and through everyday practices.
• Model equity, diversity, and inclusion in our hiring and casting practices for all our artistic programs.
  Create a sense of welcome and belonging for audience members of all backgrounds.

Vital Opera abides by the following action items to help promote diversity and inclusion in our workplace:

• Pursue cultural competency throughout our organization by creating substantive learning opportunities and formal, transparent policies.
• Pool resources and expand offerings for underrepresented constituents by connecting with other arts organizations committed to diversity and inclusion efforts.
• Develop a system for being more intentional and conscious of bias during the hiring, promoting, or evaluating process. Train our hiring team on equitable practices.
• Include a salary range with all public job descriptions.
• Advocate for public and private-sector policy that promotes diversity, inclusion, and equity.
• Challenge systems and policies that create inequity, oppression and disparity.
• Prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion in all programming and production decisions.