Coyote's Equity + Inclusion Task Force is Back on the Docket
Coyote’s Equity & Inclusion Task Force (EITF) has resurfaced with a reimagined momentum. Though originally formed in October of 2017, the collective decided to hiatus while redefining goals and strategies to increase efficacy outcomes. EITF now has a new set of legs and, under the guidance of both new and veteran staff, has come out of the gates running!
The Equity & Inclusion Task Force (EITF) commits to creating a more equitable and inclusive environment so that every member of the Coyote community can feel welcome, heard, and validated as their whole self. Its function is to examine equity barriers at Coyote in an effort to develop strategies and best practices to overcome them. EITF members look through an equity lens to identify blind spots and bring shadows into the light. Alongside staff, the EITF plays a supporting role in implementing change.
The EITF is comprised of 20-24 staff, board members, teaching artists, students, parents, and community members, chosen based on their commitment to social equity, their positionality within the organization, and their diversity of perspectives with regards to systemically underrepresented groups.
If you’d like to attend a meeting, we value additional voices in the conversation. Please RSVP before attending so we can get a proper headcount.
Here’s a recap of our first meeting of 2020:
Voted on this meeting
1. Every EITF meeting will be a community potluck!
2. Our meetings will alternate between Coyote Central & Coyote North to enable equitable access for all EITF members.
3. Visitors welcome – RSVPs appreciated when possible
Activities in Review
To get our minds in motion we engaged in two exercises, Salad Bowl & Chalk Talk. The aim of the activities was to spark conversation and flow about what Equity means to us. And to get to know one another better.
Equity in Action
During the activities, I especially noticed the willingness to listen when we fell upon moments of silence. There was a very fluid sense of honoring space & time for folks to think and build upon one another’s perspectives.
How do we define Equity? | (vote next time)
Equity honors the inherent value and expertise of everyone. It acknowledges the historic systems built to benefit some at the cost of others. Equity leverages resources for individuals and communities based on need and access. It is ever evolving. It is propelled by humility, true allyship and risk-taking based on an understanding of positionality. Equity broadens the collective scope of what is possible.