Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts (SEARA) strategizes systemic change in BC’s art sector through data-driven action.
Catalyzed by Black Lives Matters, LandBack and Free Palestine movements, SEARA formed as a consortium of BC Arts Service Organizations in 2020, calling on Canada’s Art world to proactively combat its replication of Eurocentric, colonial, racist ideals in levels of policy, governance and administration.
221A is the fiscal sponsor of SEARA, supporting with administration, finance and facilitation. Together, we can create an equitable society where BIPOC artists and cultural workers have equal capacity, governance, social standing, and visibility within arts institutions in BC.
Organizing Values
Issues Naming
If something is racist, we call it racist. We reject euphemisms that conceal issues such as racism, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, colonialism, islamophobia, antisemitism, etc., and confront these issues head-on without the worry of comforting those in power.
Pragmatic Support
Getting something done shouldn’t be an extensive 45 step process. We are here to get to the root of the issue, and we do that by having action-oriented strategies and creating pragmatic solutions, so that they don’t have to be harder than they need to be.
Intersectional Economic Justice
The economic disparity between racialized artists and the arts sector is a direct issue of institutional racism. We recognize the urgent need to address economic disparities by dismantling systemic barriers, advocating for equitable compensation and challenging institutions to take prompt affirmative action.
Joy as Resistance
BIPOC folks deserve joy. We believe in the transformative art of finding joy and cultural expressions of having a good time and to share the medicine of laughter within the workplace and our lives. Our joy is essential in order to be disruptive to white supremacy, colonization, and capitalism.
Imperfection
Perfection is a colonial construct, our aim is to provide and do good work for racialized artists, but there might be times when we miss that mark. In the event that happens our promise is that we also need to be accountable for our actions, and to turn things around and make them right again.
Community Rooted
We are here to support racialized artists. We are here to sit with and advocate for communities for equitable treatment, funding, opportunities, platforms and to dismantle systemic racist structures to support the needs and dreams of racialized artists.
