Our Anti-Racism Journey

Commitment From Our Board

We continue to aspire to serve as “the Museum of the People,” and our vision will require us to confront and counter the structural racism in our communities starting within our four walls.

The Board is greatly inspired by, and stands in deep appreciation of, the organization-wide efforts to formulate Anti-Racism Design Teams (ADT) led by OMCA employees in the summer and fall of 2020, who have collaboratively defined many opportunities for transformation within our organization.    

The Board holds social impact as a core pillar of our long-term goals supported through our role to ensure the financial sustainability of the Museum. We envision a museum where all employees can continue to thrive and grow –  to better serve our Bay Area communities for generations to come.  

We are deeply committed to advancing the following:

●  Defining what an anti-racist organization looks like and what outcomes will measure our progress    
●  Develop as individual trustees and as a collective Board in learning how to recognize and eradicate structural racism                                                         
● Ensure more inclusive and diverse representation in our Board composition                                            
● Driving more inclusive and accessible processes in the operations of our Board committees for our broader employee and community stakeholder groups                        
●  Support the strategic and transformational work of becoming an anti-racist museum

By driving this transformation of OMCA into an anti-racist organization, we can better serve our stakeholders – our communities, our supporters, and our employees. We can in turn serve as a model for other cultural institutions on how to overcome structural racism and further advance our collective journey towards a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible world.

--- The Board of Trustees of the Oakland Museum of California