DONATE NOW

Equity Statement from our Board of Directors

As we bear witness across Canada, the United States, and around the world to the outrage and protests sparked by violent, systemic racism and acts of racial discrimination, we want to acknowledge that we stand in support of Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQ+ and all marginalized members of our society. We condemn these acts and express our solidarity, grounded in a shared sense of humanity and justice.

Strategic Vision

Our vision is to strive to be an inclusive, participatory, and sustainable heritage society (with a museum) at the heart of our community. We believe that museums can make a significant contribution to public conversations on contemporary issues such as decolonization, inequality and racism. We also believe that museums have a responsibility to support our various community organisations and create space for the lived experience of our fellow citizens. 

As a heritage society, we recognize that we must question and correct our complicities in the institutionalization of racism, discrimination, and colonialism that may be present in the composition of our board, our hiring practices and our physical and/or electronic representations.

As a heritage society, we will:

  • Consider what it means to be a museum, a public institution, and understand how our silence in the face of racialized violence equates to complicity.
  • Back up our words with actions, through continuous learning and realigning ourselves with anti-racist practices.
  • Open the door to anti-racist conversation, and encourage the self-examination required to align our public-facing words with our actions.
  • Remain open, transparent, and fully committed to an on-going process of anti-racism work in helping to create a model of possibility and change for the common good.

Our Commitment

As a heritage society, we commit to the following actions as part of a long-term plan which continues to be revisited and revised:  

  • In our governance, we commit to, and encourage a process of inclusion on our Board.
  • In our hiring, we will support a process of inclusion in the selection and training of our staff and volunteers as well as in our mentorship programs.
  • In our programming, we will convene and facilitate conversations and partnerships to address community challenges, and create new programs that deliberately incorporate anti-racist frameworks.
  • In our personnel development, we commit to regular anti-racist and diversity training for staff, volunteers, and Board Members.
  • In our communications, we will openly speak out against oppression and injustice, strive to build solidarity by creating space for community feedback, and be transparent in our operations and in upholding these commitments.
  • In our public engagement, we commit to running new public events and lecture series focused on racism, colonialism, and white supremacy.
  • In our public relations, we will actively seek opportunities to collaborate with Board members, government officials, BIPOC advocacy organizations, Indigenous advocacy groups, and LGBTQ+ organizations across the region to bring the varied stories of our community stakeholders to the forefront.

Moving Forward

We recognize that our entire community is enriched by the contributions of all community members and that we all benefit from diverse voices, expertise, and experiences.

We wish to affirm to our community, to those who fund us, and to others who engage with us, that anti-racism is a core principle, guiding what we do. We know that to be anti-racist requires intentional, continuous action.