Land Acknowledgement
Conspiracy of Beards respectfully acknowledge that their primary address is located on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, the original inhabitants of what is now the San Francisco Peninsula. We wish to pay our respects to the Ancestors, Elders, and relatives of the Ramaytush Community and to affirm their sovereign rights as First Peoples. We are committed to living our values by promoting the history of these people, recognizing that they are still here as vital members of our community, and by creating an environment where all voices are celebrated and all arts and stories are honored.
DEIB Statement
Diversity – Everyone is invited
Equity – Everyone contributes
Inclusion – Everyone is valued
Belonging – Everyone feels welcome
Conspiracy of Beards is an inclusive organization where all participants are encouraged, valued, and respected regardless of gender or binary or non-binary gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, education, or personal challenge. We are committed to nondiscriminatory approaches and practices and to providing equal opportunities for employment, advancement, and participation in all of our functional areas, programs, and venues. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages. We aspire to demonstrate equity by modeling and promoting diversity and inclusion for the arts and music communities and the nonprofit sector. In order to provide informed authentic leadership for cultural equity, Conspiracy of Beards strives to carefully maintain the following:
1. to value diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging as intrinsically connected to our mission and critical to ensuring the well-being of our board, staff, participants, and the communities we serve;
2. to encourage and support sensitivity as to how systemic inequities can impact our work and to address those impacts consistent with our mission;
3. to acknowledge and correct any inequities in our policies, systems, programs, or services, and to continually monitor our related progress;
4. to evaluate and remedy any hidden or unquestioned assumptions or biases which may potentially interfere with our inclusiveness;
5. to challenge our assumptions about what is needed to be a strong leader in our organizations and to commit time and resources to expanding our diversity of leadership;
6. to assess and encourage cultural competency by sharing substantive learning opportunities;
7. to practice transparent communication in all interactions and policies;
8. to interact and collaborate with respect and tolerance, with a consistent expectation that all participants will uphold that standard;
9. to pool resources and expand offerings for any underrepresented participants by connecting with other arts organizations committed to diversity and inclusion efforts;
10. to become more intentional and conscious of potential biases in our actions and to proactively train and advance our skills with respect to equitable practices.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Our Musical Offerings and Community Engagement
A motivation for inclusion is implicit in the long-standing mission of Conspiracy of Beards: to make music and musical participation accessible to everyone. Alongside the dedicated commitment to our mission, there is also an awareness of the perceived exclusivity of some of the musical genres we present, and that our predominant repertoire is from Western European cultural tradition. With that awareness comes acknowledgment of the diverse roots of that music and the related histories of all peoples and cultures, which have frequently been unequal and exclusionary. We therefore embrace the challenge to do our part in offering music which is creatively collaborated on and performed inclusively, equitably, and for the enjoyment of everyone.