Mesa Refuge’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

The Mesa Refuge supports writers who are tackling the pressing issues of our time. With this mission, and as a nonprofit and steward of the public good, the Mesa Refuge recognizes the vital importance of voicing and codifying our commitment to work toward diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of our organization. We recognize the historical inequities and existing systemic barriers that marginalized people have experienced within institutions, and prioritize this work as essential to our mission.

Our Commitment to DEI: History and Current Actions

Mesa Refuge is evolving as an organization in its 26th year, deepening its commitment to DEI. Periodically, we will share our evolution and process towards equity with our community. As we implement a DEI lens throughout the organization, we recognize that there is always work to be done to evolve our systems and practices. We are committed to proactively evaluating our programs, processes and practices, and actively addressing concerns as they arise. We have had a longstanding commitment to these values throughout our programs. The following are steps we have taken—or plan to take—to further reflect these values throughout our organization.

History

  • Longstanding commitment to diversity in our residency community is reflected in, and embodied by, the Mesa Refuge’s alumni community. 
  • Prioritized recruiting more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) board members over the past few years.
  • Hired an organizational consultant in spring 2022 to support board and staff in addressing concerns that were raised about board governance, hiring practices and decision-making. An organizational assessment led to a commitment to evolve our practices and policies regarding DEI, resulting in the Recent & Current & Future Action Plan that follows.

Recent and Current Actions (Mid-2022 to December 2023)

  • Governance: 
    • Formed a DEI working group in 2022, made up of board, staff and community members, to ensure this commitment stays at the forefront of our work.
    • Articulated a DEI Commitment statement, drafted by the working group and approved by the board in fall 2022.
    • Created a board recruitment matrix to ensure DEI lens is employed in identifying and bringing on new board members. Board is currently more than 50% BIPOC for the first time.
  • Programs: 
    • Tracking where we are currently implementing an equity lens, and areas that need attention.
    • Assessing and revising our selection process and criteria.
    • Putting a focus on residency cohorts, especially for BIPOC writers and activists.
    • Speaker series on “Empowering Women Today”  offered in Spanish and English.
    • Revising residency selection process to ensure equity and gender balance, and for greater transparency. 
  • Staff: 
    • Prioritizing recruiting and hiring qualified BIPOC candidates for open positions. 
    • Executive Director and a board member are participating in Building Your Equitable Capacity workshops offered by the Artist Communities Alliance, and sharing learning with the board and staff.
    • Executive Director is participating in local West Marin Coalition for Equity and Justice workshops.
    • Working with DEI consultants to guide us on ongoing education and learning for board and staff.
  • Buildings and Operations: 
    • Land Acknowledgement created in partnership with local indigenous advisors and shared at events and residency orientations.
    • Renovation of the house included making accessible accommodations for one bedroom and bath.

Future Commitments

  • Ongoing:
    • Supporting local Coast Miwok tribe, with a Marin County Land Tax (in development) or offering time at Mesa Refuge.
    • DEI commitment is on our website with progress to be tracked and updated.

We will continue to track our intentions and actions, and share updates on our progress and where we still have work to do.