WV Symphony board statement on
Diversity, equity, and iNCLUSION
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO) affirms its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as it fulfills its vision to be the spark that ignites a love of music and a sense of pride in “EVERY” person in our region. While diversity and inclusion include all backgrounds and experiences, we recognize that Black Americans and other people of color are currently underrepresented in the organization. As part of our DEI commitment, the leadership of the WVSO is taking the following actions:
Create a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee to provide recommendations to the Board to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the WVSO.
Coordinate diversity, equity, and inclusion training for the Board at least annually.
Review the WVSO bylaws, board and committee compositions, and strategic plan to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion are addressed.
Immediately appoint board members that are people of color.
Reach out to diverse community groups to connect with the WVSO and provide feedback and input to increase diverse community participation in the WVSO and assist in planning diverse programming in the selection of conductors, composers.
Review WVSO audience and patron events to expand networking opportunities to increase diverse community participation in the WVSO.
Increase diversity of WVSO programming and educational outreach to provide opportunities to reach communities and audiences of all backgrounds, including people of color.
Review other policies and business practices of the WVSO so that they deliberately incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion.
(revised and approved 9/24/2020 by DEI Committee)
