In late February, the ACWL-Nuveen was awarded a Professional Development Minigrant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA). These funds, along with a National Day of Racial Healing grant from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, will allow ACWL-Nuveen staff and board members to work with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Consultant, Tracey Robertson.
ACWL-Nuveen Director Erin Peyer has worked with Tracey Robertson in the past. While living in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Peyer volunteered at Ms. Robertson's nonprofit organization that worked to create racial literacy in the Oshkosh community. Today, Ms. Robertson works as a DEI Consultant and Intercultural Development Inventory Administrator. When ACWL-Nuveen staff decided to apply for the MCACA Professional Development Grant, Peyer knew Ms. Robertson would be a fantastic resource.
Peyer states, "Volunteering for Ms. Robertson was a huge eye-opener for me. Through reading books about race and then having the opportunity to discuss them with other community members, I was able to learn more about the experiences and challenges faced by people of color in the Midwest, this country, and beyond."
At the end of March, the ACWL-Nuveen Board and staff members will undergo an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). This inventory will assess the current state of the organization's intercultural competence and create a plan for direct ways to more effectively engage diversity within the ACWL-Nuveen and the programming we offer for the White Lake community and Muskegon County.
Following the IDI, ACWL-Nuveen staff and board members will work with Ms. Robertson to develop specific goals for increasing the diversity, equity, and inclusivity of ACWL-Nuveen programming. "As an arts organization, we feel we have the responsibility and opportunity to expose community members to the art and experiences of different cultures," says Peyer. "We are looking forward to having Ms. Robertson's help to ensure we do that in a respectful and inclusive way."
Learn more about IDI: https://idiinventory.com/
Watch Tracey Robertson's 2017 TEDxOshkosh Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKn3gwUShIk