Arts Taking Action Against Racism

The CAARI initiative ~ Collective Action Against Racism and Inequity, launched by The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (CAFC) last fall ~ will be participating in collective planning workshops this  month, to boost the community's ability to describe achievable innovations against racism and inequity.

The workshops were preceded by a series of ongoing convenings, mindfully developing a community of practice among artists, administrators, board members, and educators who are committed to recognizing the embedded racism in our society, our organizations, and ourselves and who are working to define and implement meaningful, anti-racist actions. The sessions are highly interactive and will employ the Three Horizons methodology.

Join the conversation by tuning into the February 8th edition of CAFC's Spotlight on Arts & Culture, a monthly radio show on WPKN 89.5 FM at noon, which will focus on “Moving Beyond ‘Black History Month."  

The CAARI initiative was developed in response to calls by members, during the CAFC’s weekly Community Calls from March through December, focused on the serious challenges posed by the global pandemic. As national events wrenched attention onto racism, the deeply rooted inequities of our own region, exacerbated by the pandemic, begged for action.  

Collective Action Against Racism and Inequity was born: first as a series of three public “Conversations” organized and led by Valeria and Andrea Lopez, of Stamford-based OnBeat Consulting, and then as a series of workshops, progressing from personal reflection, through group exercises, to defining meaningful actions whose effectiveness will then be measured.  In the earlier public conversations, participants explored the question of how racism has shaped our understanding of human culture and how we can practically begin to dismantle racism in the arts and culture.  More than 50 have participated in CAARI – which continues to serve as a focal point for staff and Board members, CAFC members, and artists.

The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a nonprofit, membership service organization supporting its members by providing unified marketing, capacity building, professional development, and advocacy services. For the public, it publishes FCBuzz Events, a free comprehensive cultural calendar that appears on the culturalalliancefc.org website, providing the latest information on what’s happening in the arts and culture across coastal Fairfield County. 

For questions, further information,please contact our CAFC Executive Director David Green, david@culturalalliancefc.org,