Storytelling has the power to promote and inspire dialogue for healing, to model courage and compassion, to caution and to build shared experience. NSN believes storytelling is made stronger by the inclusion of many voices and perspectives. We embrace the diversity in the storytelling community and stand with those demanding meaningful and sustainable change to counter racism, discrimination, and injustice. We acknowledge our own past failure to be as diverse and welcoming of the breadth of the storytelling community as justice provides and we would want to be. We condemn exclusion and the systemic racism historically embedded in our country and culture, and pledge to listen, learn, and act for justice and equity in our community.
The NSN Board of Directors pledges to:
- Review and update NSN’s policies and procedures to discover and weed out processes that perpetuate racism and discrimination. We are committed to undoing any structural racism and discrimination found within our organizational practices and culture.
- Have conversations with members and former Board members of color to understand their experiences and perceptions, to help identify opportunities to correct discriminatory policies and practices.
- Ensure better representation of our diverse community by increasing the representation of members of marginalized communities in our performances, workshops, conferences, and on our Board of Directors.
- Strive to “Get Things Right” rather than “Being Right”.
- Engage in intentional, sustained study to become skilled at effectively dealing with issues of race/discrimination and invite our members to join us in that work.
NSN staff and Board members are committed to eliminating racism and discrimination from our organizational practice and culture.
The lives and contributions of People of Color and other marginalized communities not only matter but are cherished and valued. We pledge to find methods and resources to help us address racism, discrimination, and barriers to participation in our organization. We pledge to be inclusive of all storytellers regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, social class, physical ability, age, religious affiliation, or storytelling style.