Community Accountability & Agreements

Regardless of the type of space, when we gather in community, conflict can sometimes arise in our discussions and reflections of society, civic spaces, and the philanthropic field. We offer below agreements to hold and uphold as we show up throughout the 2021 GIA Annual Conference to support community accountability, equity, and wellbeing.

GIA is committed to addressing structural inequities and increasing philanthropic and government support for African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA) artists and arts organizations. Racial equity is a lens through which GIA aims to conduct all of its work, as well as a specific area of its programming.

Our organization and our members do not tolerate racism, harassment, ageism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia, ableism, or prejudice based on ethnicity, nationality, class, gender, gender presentation, language ability, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, body size, age, religion, color, ethnicity language, asylum status, or religious affiliation.

Please follow these guidelines to keep our conversations and events within this conference as constructive, generative, and safe for all.

• Be respectful to other attendees and presenters.
• Prioritize self-care, take breaks, stretch whenever you need to.
• Acknowledge intent and attend to impact.
• Check-in for clarity, certainty, context.
• Listen to understand; ask before assuming. Listen, process your thoughts and the message conveyed, and then ask what is unclear before jumping to conclusions. Commit to listening, commit to learn; this also applies when offering and receiving critical feedback.
• In discussions, do not interrupt others, come to an agreed upon system for participating in the discussion (comment queue or raising a hand) and be kind with your words.
• Use the WAIT Rule: Why Am I Talking / Why Aren’t I Talking?
• Be aware of your space, the positions and privileges you bring (racial, class, gender, etc.) and how these may affect others.
• Language is powerful. Be aware of the language you use in discussions and exchanges and how this relates to others. In discussions, raise your hand to speak, do not interrupt others, and be kind with your words.
• Be respectful of gender identities;
  • To change your name in Zoom to include your gender pronouns, use the following instructions: Edit your name to include your pronouns by selecting “participants” ➔ find yourself ➔ select “more” ➔ select “rename” ➔ type your name and pronouns and save
• Respect the identity parameters of groups.
  • For example: If a session says for ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American) or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) only, and you do not identify as ALAANA or BIPOC, please respect that space and choose another group.
• Recognize the difference between identity-first and people-first language, especially when discussing disability. More information on this can be learned from Cara Liebowitz’s “I am Disabled: On Identity-First Versus People-First Language,” on The Body is Not an Apology blog, or discussed in the Summer 2020 issue of the GIA Reader.
• Do not use ableist and other harmful language. More information can be learned from Self Defined.
• Do not record or screenshot sessions without notification and consent.
• If participating in a session virtually, consider muting yourself when you’re not speaking or follow the guidelines the session presenters offer for the group.
• Try to find a balance between muted and unmuted time in breakout sessions and roundtables. While background noise can sometimes be distracting, it can also be a cue for understanding, support, questioning, or other reactions to what is being discussed.
• Be patient around technology and with presenters, facilitators, attendees, and the GIA team.
• Learn and enjoy!
• We’re here for you. Default for direct contact instead of public callouts. For conference-related concerns, email gia@giarts.org or speak to a GIA team member.
• If someone says something that goes against the zero-tolerance policy above and you’d like to confront them about it, be specific and direct (preferably in a direct message to them). You are encouraged to report this type of behavior to your room monitor and/or email the GIA team at gia@giarts.org or speak to a GIA team member.

GIA acknowledges and thanks the folks at Allied Media Conference, Daniel Lim Consulting, and ArtPlace America for inspiring the creation of these guidelines.