Report To The Community 2021

many voices,
one mission
The Arts Center expanded its focus on
diversity, equity and inclusion
through multiple channels
Celebrating diversity has been
a central principle of NJPAC’s
mission since its inception, a core
value shaping its programming,
its hiring practices and more.
In 2020, the global rebirth of
the social justice movement
following the murder of George
Floyd led to a significant
expansion of the Arts Center’s
public-facing programming
focused on equity and
inclusion, from film screenings
to professional development
workshops for teachers.
But in 2021, staff and senior
management at NJPAC also
examined the organization’s
own culture through the lens of
diversity, equity and inclusion,
creating new pathways for
the institution to grow.
“Our focus on DEI actually
started much earlier, when
we worked with the Boston
Consulting Group to create
a strategic plan for the Arts
Center,” says Donna Walker-
Kuhne, who had been NJPAC’s
Senior Advisor of Community
Engagement, but mid-2021 took
on the role of Senior Advisor of
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“One of the pillars of that plan
was to create a culture here
where diversity and inclusion are
part of all aspects of our work.”
“That’s important to know,
because this was not a hasty
response to an angry staff — and
as a consultant, I’ve had clients
where this work is a response
to that. This was very different:
It was a thoughtful response
Members of NJPAC’s African American
Employee Resource Group joined forces for a
“day of service” in support of the global nonprofit
housing organization Habitat for Humanity.
to the realization that we want
NJPAC to be an anti-racist
organization, and to commit
to doing the work needed
to achieve that,” she says.
Walker-Kuhne and Beth Silver,
Vice President and Chief People
Officer, as well as a crossdepartmental
Arts Center team,
did months of work on exploring
strategies that advance diversity,
equity and inclusion, and
incorporating these efforts as a
central part of NJPAC’s strategic
plan. This work evolved into
multiple new internal initiatives
that launched in January 2021.
The first step was staff education.
Several online staff training
sessions were offered to all
NJPAC employees by Silver and
the People and Organization
team, who sourced online
training programs on workplace
harassment, being an upstander
in the face of racism and more.
Each training was followed by
live small-group discussions
that involved everyone from
entry-level staffers to senior
management. Cheryl Rosario,
the founder of CGR Consulting,
a DEI-focused consulting group,
came on board to lead these
discussions throughout the year.
Each training offered a different
focus, from the basics of
civility in the workplace to
recognizing unconscious bias.
Silver also facilitated the
deployment of a staff survey
on attitudes about diversity,
equity and inclusion, and how
NJPAC could improve its support
for all employees. The results
of the survey yielded several
new goals for the organization,
from empowering women in the
workplace to fostering a culture
that allowed staffers to bring
their “whole selves” to work.
Mid-year, a DEI Committee
was added to the NJPAC
Board of Directors’ initiatives,
with 10 Board members and
volunteer leaders from a range
of industries coming together for
the first time in June to discuss
ways that the Arts Center could
further enhance its commitment
to equity and inclusion.
“The Board is in many ways
our mirror — they objectively
provide feedback on how
we’re doing, they help shape
and guide our goals. To ensure
that we are implementing DEI
principles in the best ways
possible requires their support
and their feedback,” says Silver.
Perhaps most significantly,
in 2021 NJPAC formed and
launched four Employee
Resource Groups — internal
affinity groups for Black/
African American, Latino/
Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and Women,
designed to support staffers’
goals at work, and brainstorm
new ways to make the Arts
Center as inclusive as possible.
“We wanted everyone who
works here to have a safe place
where they could raise their
concerns and find ways to make
positive change,” says Silver.
“There was no expectation of
what my role would be, we were
free to really plot our own path,”
says Kira Ruth, Senior Manager
of Programming Operations,
“We want
NJPAC to be
an anti-racist
organization,
and to commit
to doing the
work needed
to achieve that.”
– Donna Walker-Kuhne
who took on the role of
Chair of the African American
Employee Resource Group.
“The ERGs gave a lot of people
the opportunity to have their
voices heard. Speaking for
myself, I feel like I really dropped
the filter that I would normally
keep up at work — and I
hope that it allowed other
people to feel that way too.”
The ERG meetings are “not a
[complaint] session, but what
they offer people is the comfort
of being able to be more open
about what their concerns are —
always with the goal of thinking
about how things could be
done differently or better,” says
Mary Jaffa, NJPAC’s Assistant
Vice President of Finance, and
Chair of the Women’s ERG.
The ERGs were not only
enthusiastically embraced by
staff, but they also led to a
profusion of staff-led initiatives
that took place throughout the
year. Among them: The LGBTQ+
ERG sponsored a series of events
around Pride Week in Newark,
including a public Pride Happy
Hour at NICO Kitchen + Bar and
a digital staff Pride celebration
that included drag bingo
and lessons in vogueing.
The Women’s ERG offered a
series of digital workshops
with Laurie Chock, President of
Chock Global Communications,
on communicating and
presenting effectively at work.
The group also successfully
advocated for a flexible
work time policy at NJPAC.
Las Jardineras — the name
created by participating staffers
for the ERG for employees of Latin
and Hispanic heritage — made
a presentation at an all-staff
meeting explaining the difference
delineated by the words Latin
and Hispanic. The group also
hosted an El Día De Los Muertos
celebration, and offered a
salsa lesson at a meet-andgreet
event held to welcome
new potential ERG members.
The African American ERG
created a staff presentation
called Do You Know Newark?
that delved into the city’s history
and its role as a hotspot of jazz
that fostered the talents of artists
from Sarah Vaughan to Wayne
Shorter. It also organized a day of
service with Habitat for Humanity
for all of the ERG members.
“We try to make everything we
do informative, but entertaining
as well,” says Ruth. “I feel like
there’s been real growth here,
as an organization, through
the work of the ERGs.”
“And I am hopeful of more
growth to come,” she adds.
“There’s always room to grow.” •
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