Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

Statement on Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

In the current climate of the United States and the world at large, organizations of all kinds are forced to take a hard look at themselves and determine if their values are in line with promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion or whether changes need to happen in order to make those values a priority. First, NABBA would like to state unequivocally that black lives matter.

The NABBA Board of Directors would like to affirm its stance as an organization that embraces all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual identity, disability, nationality, socio-economic status, or any other identifier.

We are aware that the membership of NABBA has not reflected the breadth of diversity of the general populations of United States and Canada. The Board of Directors has been even less diverse. While this has not been due to any intentional exclusion, we still recognize the need to expand the diversity of voices at all levels of our beloved organization.

The Committee for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion has already begun to form. Jason Collier, a person of color and member of the board, will chair that committee. He and the rest of the committee will begin working immediately to make NABBA a place where people are not judged for who they are – and where diverse voices are not only welcome, but encouraged.

Thank you for being a part of NABBA. Together, we will work to make sure that NABBA and all of its bands are vibrant, relevant parts of North American music making for a long time to come.

Sincerely,
The NABBA Board of Directors