Anti-Racism Commitment and Resources

We at Hopewell are committed to taking intentional actions to combat racism within our organization, including but not limited to the following:

1. Hopewell Music will continue to learn from and amplify the voices of BIPOC (Black, Indiginous and People of Color) leaders and community members. We will be following the example of BIPOC leaders and modeling after their leadership.
2. We are re-examining our current employment recruitment and hiring practices. While we operate in one of the most diverse areas of Minneapolis with about half of residents identifying as black, our staff and board leadership is and historically has been predominantly white. This is not something we can ignore and we recognize that this hinders our ability to understand and address issues of inequity in North Minneapolis. While there are many elements contributing these problems, the underlying truth is that we as an organization must reflect our Northside community. 
3. In our past strategic planning sessions, we have created a plan to intentionally partner with schools and community organizations to reach more Northside BIPOC students. This involves creating a safe learning environment for these students. These actions are vital for us to truly fulfill our mission of advocating for access and equity in music education.  
4. We are committed to being persistent, educating ourselves, and moving with urgency. We will look at how we are perpetuating white supremacy and systemic racism within our policies and procedures. We will use that knowledge to create concrete immediate and long-term plans. We welcome being held accountable for our actions as well as feedback about opportunities for us to show up in anti-racist ways.  Please contact us at 612-466-0696 or at admin@hopewellmusic.com.  
   

We will continue to stand in solidarity with those who are actively tearing down systemic barriers. It is our responsibility to address the systematic marginalization of BIPOC in our city and to identify long standing traditions that push black voices to the sidelines. Together, we must work to bring undertold narratives to the forefront in order to create an equitable future for Minneapolis and our music community.