Community Accountability & Agreements

Just like if we were in a physical space together in GIA’s annual convening, conflict can sometimes arise in our discussions and reflections of society and the philanthropic field.

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 convening as productive 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.
• Avoid using ableist and other harmful language. More information can be learned from Self Defined.
• 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 record or screenshot sessions without notification or consent; consider muting yourself when you’re not speaking.
• 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, the GIA team, as we navigate our first virtual convening.
• Learn and enjoy!
• We’re here for you. Default for direct contact instead of public callouts. For conference-related concerns, email gia@giarts.org.
• 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.

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