Pursuing Equity

Pursuing Equity

Penfold’s vision statement declares, “We imagine a world that celebrates the humanity and uniqueness of every person.” On stage, that means telling stories that promote reflection and empathy. Off stage, it means intentionally structuring our organization to care for artists and audiences at every level.

What we believe

Equity

All people deserve dignity and fair treatment. The outcomes we receive shouldn’t be pre-determined by our membership to a particular identity. We must recognize when policies, practices, attitudes and cultural messages advantage some and disadvantage others. This is institutionalized inequity and must be dismantled.

Diversity

Diversity is variety—in race, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, physical ability, nationality, language, religious belief, education, marital status, language, physical appearance or socioeconomic background. A diverse company helps us reflect and remain relevant to our diverse community. It gives us the opportunity to learn from many perspectives and make better choices.

Inclusion

We must make an intentional and ongoing effort to give all members of our diverse community a sense of belonging, well-being and equal access to opportunities. To do that, we must address implicit bias and share Penfold’s operations, culture and programs with traditionally excluded individuals or groups.

What we’re doing

Inequity is deeply ingrained in our society. To address it, we must invite opportunities to learn; reflect on and acknowledge the ways we’ve participated in and benefited from inequity; and take action to dismantle inequity inside Penfold and our larger community.

This work is forever ongoing and evolving. Penfold’s next steps are outlined in its current Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) action plan.