Creative County Initiative
A systems-based commitment to supporting a strong ecosystem for
arts, culture and creative enterprise that is SUSTAINABLE, EQUITABLE and
ACCESSIBLE for all in our region
CCI holds racial equity and justice as core values. During this period of pain, stress, and national uprising and solidarity, CCI is committing to address injustice and systemic racism in its work.
We pledge to:
- Continually work to meet goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA) in our work across Essex County, recognizing that continued learning and adapting is needed.
- Create and support a CCI Racial Equity Working Group to ensure that our commitment to DEIA manifests in CCI’s programs, policies, and structures with intention, integrity, and sustainability.
- Educate ourselves as to white privilege and systemic racism and learn how to build equity and inclusivity in all areas of CCI investment.
- Create opportunities for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian – and other people of color who – through arts, culture, and creativity bring meaning to our communities.
- Build community through deep listening, learning, partnering, and collaboratively working to create a more equitable and just society.
Creative County Initiative strives to serve the health, well-being, and creative economy of Essex County communities by strengthening the region’s arts and culture ecosystem. CCI embraces a collaborative approach to building systems of sustainable support across all sectors for the creative makers, organizations, and citizens who bring creativity, connectivity and meaning to our communities. Through its work, CCI strives to build community through cultural and civic engagement.
For CCI, 2020 is a time to pause, reset, reprioritize, and
continue to model the change we want and need in our world.