Stan Rosenberg

Out of Many, One: Cultural Equity as the Foundation for a More Perfect Union

Posted by Stan Rosenberg, Aug 12, 2016 0 comments


Stan Rosenberg

From the Declaration of Independence, which tell us “all men are created equal,” to the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution guaranteeing equal rights under the law, we Americans have been promised a level playing field.

As children we learn these American principles beginning in our earliest days in school. But are we really equal in the eyes of the law? Are we really “out of many, one”? We need to truly respect the diversity of humanity living and working among us, and the beauty and talents in others, but do we see the world as they experience it in their lives? Do we see each other's potential to contribute to achieving the promise of our pluralistic society, and to becoming "a more perfect union"?

Americans for the Arts has made a valuable contribution to this conversation by issuing its cultural equity statement. It speaks to the role artists and arts organizations can play in helping America advance these important founding principles. It also speaks to the value of all people, embracing their differences, acknowledging their contributions to our society, and to the essential role art plays in our advancement.

Art challenges us to see, to feel, to think, and often to act. Artists help us validate or challenge our own thoughts and vision. They cause us to question old ways and to dream of new ways. They expose inequity and inequality, challenging us to overcome them in our lives, in our places of work and worship, in our economy and in our communities. They help us resolve to make things better for others.

Arts organizations play a crucial role in this work by supporting artists and engaging people in arts-related activities. Through these organizations, people have the opportunity to experience the arts and benefit from that engagement. This is nothing less than a part of the foundation we need to become a more perfect union. Together, artists and arts organizations bring the transformative power of the arts to the people and help lay the groundwork for change.

In a now famous letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams wrote:

“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

Written in today’s more culturally equitable society, Adams might also have included his daughters in his letter; but even then, he understood that people first need to feel secure within their borders, and then need a robust economic system to make sure they can meet their basic human needs. Adams also understood the important contributions that arts and culture make in a successful, self-governing society.

It is the responsibility of government and government officials to pursue changes we need to advance a society consistent with our founding aspirations of equality and justice for all. Art and artists inspire all of us, including government officials, to strengthen our resolve to strive for a more perfect union, to strengthen our anti-discrimination laws, and to develop policies and programs that advance all individuals in our pluralistic society without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity, place of origin, class, or physical ability.  We must have diversity at the table so that decisions are made with a clear understanding of the needs and interests of everyone in our diverse society.

The principles laid out in our nation's founding documents can come to fruition with full cultural equity, as defined by the Americans for the Arts cultural equity statement. We can indeed create a country that achieves the vision of one out of many, with everyone treated equally, and living, at last, in a more perfect union. 

Stan Rosenberg is the first Jewish, first LGBT, and first former foster child to serve as president of the Massachusetts State Senate. 

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