June 16th, 2020
As music educators and human beings, we are heartbroken at at the murder of George Floyd, just one of many instances of violence against people of color in our community and across the United States. We are aware that a larger system of oppression and racism has existed for hundreds of years and still exists in our country and community. We believe in and value the inherent dignity of human life, and we commit to anti-racist action. Black lives matter. We believe that systemic change is needed to combat this cycle of violence against communities of color. As an all-white leadership team, we recognize our privilege and we are committed to using our chapter to strive toward equity in music education and in our greater community.
We commit to centering and amplifying BIPOC voices in the Kodály Chapter of Minnesota. We plan to intentionally program workshops led by people of color and personally invite music educators of color to these events. It will be our expectation that presenters are cognizant of our values of racial justice, equity, and inclusion when presenting a workshop. We will place emphasis on teaching cultural and historical context of workshop repertoire, and avoiding cultural appropriation.
In addition to intentionally planning more inclusive workshops, we will also be more transparent in asking for feedback after workshops. We will consistently examine our planning processes and look for feedback on needs from our community for future workshop topics.
This process of anti-racism is ongoing. We are approaching this with a growth mindset, and we ask to be held accountable for mistakes. We commit to listening and learning, examining our own privilege and implicit biases so that we can take action to provide equitable, safe learning spaces for all of our learners.
Sincerely,
The board members of the Kodály Chapter of Minnesota
Kodály Chapter of Minnesota 