The group ArtsNow has formed a 15-member diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility advisory board. Its goal is to create equitable access to the arts across all communities.
Cristina Gonzalez Alcala of the Akron Community Foundation, says her experience inspired her to write the equity statement for the board.
“People need to be acknowledged. We need to see people. We need to welcome them and that welcoming is part of me being Latina, me being welcomed here as an immigrant," she said. "Having a rich history of refugees and immigrants come here, we need to welcome them and respect them.”
Alcala says each member of the board was chosen based on experience with being marginalized because of identity.
