2024 Cultural Equity Plan
TIMEFRAME
This plan spans 2024. Progress will be evaluated midway through the year and as needed.
STATEMENT OF VALUES
The Carnegie Center’s mission is to empower people to explore and express their voices through imaginative learning and the literary arts.
The Carnegie Center considers the diversity of its students, volunteers, and staff to be a core strength and to be critical to our mission. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment, intimidation, and discrimination. The previous statement is also read by instructors at the start of classes each season, along with the guidance, “If you feel you have experienced any of these related to Carnegie, please contact me (instructor), Program Director Z Jackson, or Executive Director Jennifer Mattox.”
We feel it is important to recognize systemic racism, including in education and publishing where Carnegie operates; therefore, our Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative provides free classes & programs for Black Kentucky writers Our goal is to welcome Black students to Carnegie, nurture their development, and remove financial obstacles for as long as needed.
DEFINITIONS
IDEA highlights efforts toward underserved communities by addressing structural inequities. Organizations that embrace IDEA are able to foster cultures that minimize bias and recognize and address systemic inequities, which, if unaddressed, create disadvantage for certain individuals or groups.
• Inclusion: All feel welcomed and valued
Inclusion is the act of creating safe environments in which any individual, group, or community is welcomed, respected, represented, supported, and valued.
• Diversity: All the ways we differ
Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the different characteristics that make one individual, group, or community different from another. Diversity includes but is not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, physical appearance, and geography.
• Equity: All having the opportunity to fully participate
Equity refers to the promotion of access, opportunity, and advancement of all individuals, including those in underserved communities, in order to identify and eliminate conditions that prevent the ability of all to reach their full potential.
The term ‘underserved communities’ refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic or region that have been historically or systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life.
• Accessibility: Of any and all abilities
Accessibility is the practice of making information, activities, and/or environments sensible, meaningful, and usable for as many people as possible regardless of physical or mental abilities.
Our definitions are primarily derived from these sources: Indiana Arts Commission’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access), https://www.in.gov/arts/programs-and-services/resources/inclusion-diversity-equity-and-access-idea/
Kentucky Dept. of Education, https://education.ky.gov/DvEqIn/Pages/default.aspx
UC Berkeley Center for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary
CURRENT ASSESSMENT
Breaking down barriers to learning and participation in our programming or our workplace is important to us.
Our programs: Last fiscal year, 87% of patrons attended free programs, and for ones with fees, scholarships were available for those in need. We primarily serve people from Lexington/Fayette County though people residing in a third of the state participate in Carnegie programs each year. Some programs remain virtual or are offered as a hybrid to remove geographic barriers to participation. Carnegie features diverse instructors and featured authors, and we’re mindful to do so in order to attract diverse attendees and students. At our 2022 Books-in-Progress Conference, 35% of attendees a record number were people of color, thanks in part to the scholarships we offered Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative members. The KBWC and its program have been instrumental in attracting more writers of color.
Our staff: Of the 16 staff currently employed, 19% are African Americans and 6% are Middle Eastern; one staff member is bilingual (English and Spanish). Most staff are female, which is in line with our program statistics. Staff members include urban and rural dwellers. Of staff in executive-level positions, five are women and one is non-binary. 63% of staff are under age 40, helping to bring younger audiences, new ideas, and cutting-edge technology into programs. One staff has a disability. Staff are encouraged to attend Carnegie classes and events at no cost and are given opportunities for professional development outside our organization. Full-time employees receive free health, vision, and
dental plans, and Carnegie contributes an additional 5% of a staff member’s salary to their retirement plan.
Our boards: Our Board of Trustees has 12 members: 33% male and 67% female. 42% of our board represent people of color: 3 are Black including our Board’s Vice Chair one is Hispanic and one Asian. Two board members openly identify as LBGTQ+. Our Advisory Board has four members: 50% men and 50% women, with 50% being people of color Board and Advisory Board members are offered a free class each season to support their continued learning.
Compared to our service area which is primarily Lexington/Fayette Co. we involve a higher percentage of Black community members than reside in Lexington (14.6%). While we have a percentage of Hispanic board members similar to Lexington’s residents (7.2%), our programming may serve fewer Hispanic members; it’s difficult to be certain with virtual programming. As for income levels, 16.8% of Lexington’s population are people living in poverty; we serve a higher number of low-income families due to our free offerings and scholarships for programs with fees. The Carnegie Center is a vital resource, and we intend to continue increasing our programming for underserved populations.
Other Volunteers: Most volunteers are tutors in our in-house tutoring program; currently 73% are female, 27% male. Ages range from 16 to 79; the most common group is the 18-22 year-olds (35%), which includes students from Transylvania and University of Kentucky. Some high school and collegeage tutors are fulfilling course/work study credits or volunteering to gain experience. About 26% of tutors are African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or Multi-racial. Most other volunteers (non-tutors, non-board) are also college age or young adults and mostly women. Many volunteer as part of an organized group, service organization or business, including area sororities and the Junior League of Lexington.
Twice a year, staff, board members, volunteers, and our program registrants will be surveyed, giving those who complete it the option to remain anonymous if they wish. This survey will help measure Carnegie’s progress toward meeting its CEP’s goals while also providing a means for feedback to be given. Feedback will be reviewed by board and staff.
The Carnegie Center is contracting with an outside consultant to evaluate the work environment, including organizational policies. See Goal #4 below for more details.
INTERNAL & EXTERNAL GOALS
The below goals are pulled directly from our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan. The bulleted action items for the current fiscal year are broken down by department/area. Most objectives are ongoing from previous fiscal years. While the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative (KBWC) exists to support black writers, its function is not to oversee inclusion efforts at the organization. Goals will be evaluated twice a year with reports from staff to the Executive Director, who will present them to the Strategic Planning Committee for discussion, oversight, and further planning.
1. Diversify, deepen, and expand programs to make literacy and learning opportunities available and relevant to an inclusive client base. The Carnegie Center will identify our community's evolving literacy and learning needs, paying particular attention to low-wealth families, and create programs for children and adults that meet those needs and are accessible regardless of ability to pay.
FY24 Objectives:
• KENTUCKY BLACK WRITERS COLLABORATIVE (KBWC): 1) Build the KBWC list to 150 members, with at least 50% having participated in one Carnegie/KBWC program. Winter 2024 status: 164 members strong. 2) Develop partnerships with at least 4 community organizations that will enhance the awareness and programs of the KBWC.
• PROGRAMMING: 1) Support KBWC with planning and logistics; 2) Seek ideas and feedback from KBWC members, Family Resource officers, and instructors
• YOUTH PROGRAMMING: 1) Partner with organizations that serve young people of color (e.g., Black Achievers) and create/maintain Carnegie programs for Black youth (Young Black Voices Contest).
• TUTORING: 1) Examine current inventory of learning materials for children with disabilities and research additional resources, such as virtual library programs.
• FUNDRAISING: 1) Seek funding for literary and literary arts programs, especially adult writing programs and those serving under-resourced people. 2) Consider potential social service grants as well as art grants, major gifts and sponsorships.
• EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Collaborate with staff and community partners, and seek funders to make literacy & learning opportunities available for Kentucky’s diverse residents.
2. Promote Lexington and our region as a diverse literary hub. Kentucky produces a diverse array of writers who find success within and beyond our borders. The Carnegie Center will raise awareness and amplify the voices of Kentucky's broad range of literary talent (nationally and beyond), especially Black, brown and Indigenous writers who may have been marginalized in the past.
FY24 Objectives:
• PROGRAMMING: 1) Create a BIPOC instructor database & continue to expand it. 2) Create an instructor’s toolkit that addresses issues of diversity & inclusion, barriers to access, and equity.
3. Expand the impact of the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative (KBWC), providing a welcoming, professional-level writing home for writers of all backgrounds. Carnegie will expand and deepen the impact of the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative within and beyond the Carnegie Center.
FY24 Objectives:
• KBWC: 1) Present at the Association of Writers & Writing Professionals (AWP) Conference about the KBWC. 2) Carry out Perfect Black: Poetry for the People, using 30 Black poets and local businesses to display poetry. 3) Spotlight books in The Story: From Segregation to Celebration (a woodcarved artwork with bookshelves in the former colored library entrance in our building a former Carnegie library building) 4) Create opportunities that foster community for KBWC members (meet and greets, Juneteenth celebration, writing groups, The People’s Porch community reads, readings). 5) Launch
books by KBWC members here. 6) Create a Prison Writing Program. 7) Expand outreach to get more people in other parts of Kentucky involved. 8) Purchase books by Black Kentucky authors to give away to Black readers and writers.
• PROGRAMMING: 1) Analyze in-person learning to ensure accessibility for KBWC members; reduce barriers to participation as needed. 2) Consider offering adult creative-writing classes in non-Carnegie venues that serve communities of color.
• MARKETING: 2) Continue to highlight KBWC events and programs, facilitating more opportunities for members to share their stories and readings with print and digital media. 2) Recruit and train a marketing intern who, among other duties, will assist with video-based projects capturing stories of Black writers at readings and events to create a reel and b-roll for social media and website.
• FUNDRAISING: 1) Solicit funds to create a KBWC scholarship for Author Academy and/or The Poetry Gauntlet. 2) Seek funds to cover scholarships for KBWC members to attend the 2024 Books-in-Progress Conference. 3) Secure funding for special projects that welcome Black readers and writers of all backgrounds to the Carnegie Center.
• EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: 1) Work with and support KBWC staff re: program needs including budgets, scholarships, funding, and planning major projects/public art projects. 2) Celebrate and support Kentucky’s Black authors and poets by sharing and attending their events, and inviting emerging and established Black writers to become involved with the KBWC/Carnegie Center as participants, instructors, and featured guests.
4. Strengthen Carnegie’s infrastructure – personnel, finance, governance and physical building – to support our mission. Carnegie will raise adequate funds by expanding its income sources; hiring and developing an inclusive staff; managing the building to maximize access; and recruit knowledgeable, active Board members who are representative of the community we serve. The below objectives are relevant to the organization as a whole, but also to our efforts to provide an inclusive space and staff.
FY24 Objectives:
• YOUTH PROGRAMMING: Rebuild & strengthen relationships with collaborative partner organizations.
• FUNDRAISING: 1) Seek grants and other funding sources that cover salary and general operating expenses. 2) Seek grant funds for staff members to participate in professional development.
• EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: 1) Update Personnel procedures and document storage systems to follow best practices and be current with a post-pandemic workplace.
INTEGRATION, RESPONSIBILITY, & ACCOUNTABILITY
This Cultural Equity Plan is designed to include all Carnegie staff, board, volunteers, and program attendees.
While Carnegie staff follow their objectives toward meeting goals, the Strategic Planning Committee reviews goals twice a year. They review new fiscal year goals in September and progress in April; if an action item is unmet, the Committee decides whether to remove the item or to determine steps to
accomplish the goal by fiscal year end. The entire board reviews goal progress once a year. We are working to add more layers of accountability.
Feedback and information provided by volunteers and program attendees also impacts our objectives and overall goal progress. The designated staff person overseeing the CEP and progress on goals is Executive Director Jennifer Mattox, with the involvement of Board Chair Paige Bensing and Strategic Planning Committee Chair Veda Stewart.
In addition to the goals in this plan, Carnegie has a Non-Discrimination Policy: Though the Carnegie Center is no longer a satellite agency to Lexington-Fayette Urban Co. Government, the CCLL continues to adhere to LFUCG’s Affirmative Action Statement. This includes the “equal opportunity employment policy; affirmative action plan,” the section on “discrimination due to sexual orientation or gender identify;” the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII; and the prohibition of other unlawful practices.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OUTCOMES
As we work toward our goals, we will make the Carnegie Center a place that serves our inclusive community while also providing support for underserved communities. We are reducing barriers to participation in all their forms. Below are the criteria we seek for our evaluation outcomes.
Programming (including events)
• Programs address the needs of diverse communities.
• Program participants reflect the diverse makeup of our community, with an emphasis on the underserved where appropriate.
• Programming addresses IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access).
Marketing & Communications
• Marketing materials and messaging features diverse people.
• Marketing materials and messaging is tailored for/aimed toward diverse demographics of people.
• We actively seek ways to expand communication accessibility to reach people of all abilities.
Fundraising
• We are actively seeking funding for programs that celebrate and support our diverse artists, instructors, and program participants.
• We are reducing barriers to participation, especially financial barriers through funding for scholarships/fee reductions, free programs, and programs with low participant fees.
Carnegie Center Infrastructure (Staff, Financials, Governance, Building)
• We actively seek diverse applicants for staff and instructor positions.
• Staff feel welcome, able to express themselves freely, and work in a place free from microaggressions
• We celebrate and accommodate the diversity of our staff and their needs
• We seek feedback from participants, the community, instructors, artists, and staff on ways we could be more accommodating.