Racial Equity & Juniper Rag

An Interview with Michael Bobbitt, Executive Director, Massachusetts Cultural Council

Michael J. Bobbitt

Executive Director, Massachusetts Cultural Council

Juniper Rag kicked off the week with an interview with Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, who just announced the new Racial Equity Plan.

We wanted to learn more about how the plan is put into action, what the immediate impact would be and also, what changes would we see right away. Most importantly, we wanted to learn about how the initiative would be sustainable over time. In our next issue we will share what we learned in our hour-long conversation, with one of the coolest visionary leaders in the arts in the country.

Juniper Rag is committed to making an impact in the arts & culture sector, not just to promote artists, but also to make a difference and to grow with the people who pick up our magazine. We encourage you to start conversations in your cities, towns, states and communities around the globe to see how you can be part of a more racially equitable arts community. To demonstrate our commitment to being an equitable publication for the arts and creative community, we want to use the power of storytelling to promote change-thinking. So, we went right to the top to learn more about how we can better serve the BIPOC art community as a whole.

In our last issue, Boston educator and photographer Archy LaSalle kicked off our initiative with an interview about his work and grassroots efforts. Since the initial interview, we have had robust conversations with Archy about Where Are All the Black People At, his movement that brings awareness to the fact that there is systematic racism rampant in the arts communities across our country.

We learned a lot today about BIPOC artists, the racial equity plan-making, the legacy Michael Bobbitt wants to create, as well as his obsession with maker shows and his background in theater. One impactful message Michael left us with was, "Only great things can come from racial equity." We agree.

Arts councils around the country are looking at Massachusetts as a leader in racial equity initiatives in the cultural sector. To learn more about Michael, the Mass Cultural Council and his precedent-setting leadership:

https://massculturalcouncil.org/.../michael-j-bobbitt-bio/

To read the MCC Racial Equity Plan in its entirety, please click here.

Raw Art Works youth at annual block party in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Photo provided by Massachusetts Cultural Council