Shared knowledge around history, art, science, and culture enriches our communities and helps all thrive and engage in a global society. Equity, diversity, and access to history, art, science, preservation, and education are critical to the ongoing work of the Amador Livermore Valley Historical Society and its Museum on Main.
      We recognize that at the heart of modern museum work is a tension between our mission to preserve the past, and a moral obligation to confront bias and inequities entangled with that inheritance. Museums have historically highlighted certain stories while marginalizing and oppressing others. Influential elements of political, cultural, and economic systems maintain injustice and inequity through the control of power and resources, resulting in limited access to and engagement with museums in general. We acknowledge our role in supporting these systems.
      As an institution and individuals, we commit to advancing equity and inclusion now and in the future. To fulfill our Mission, our commitment means including, serving, resourcing, validating, and centering our colleagues and all community members on an institutional and individual level. We will:

• PARTNER WITH DIVERSE COMMUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION by engaging multiple perspectives, embracing difficult conversations, and accepting feedback
• Question our assumptions, interrupt the status quo, and challenge dominant culture thinking through how we COLLECT AND PRESERVE HISTORICAL OBJECTS, ART, CHOOSE TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS, CHOOSE PERFORMERS FOR OUR PROGRAMS, CHOOSE TOPICS FOR PROGRAMS, EXHIBIT MATERIALS IN GENERAL
• Change policy and align programs to advance equity and break down barriers for the ENRICHMENT OF PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS

We will hold ourselves accountable to this important work by:

• Being transparent about the way we work, and the way decisions are made
• Continuing regular Equity and Inclusion discussions as a part of Board and staff team meetings.
• Implementing an Equity Lens as a tool for Museum-wide decision making in areas such as hiring, exhibition planning, and program development. An equity lens is a process for analyzing or diagnosing the impact of the design and implementation of policies on under-served and marginalized individuals and groups, and to identify and potentially eliminate barriers.
• Revising this Equity Statement on an ongoing basis at least twice a year as a Board and staff

 
      We understand that equity and inclusion work is difficult, and we acknowledge that we will make mistakes as we learn and grow. However, we believe that our work is critical to eliminating the inequities of historically marginalized groups such as, but not limited to race, culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation, socioeconomic status and physical and/or mental disabilities. We embrace the opportunity to keep learning and evolving and challenge everyone to do the same.
Approved by the Board of Directors on 3/11/2021