BLO has engaged in the following action steps as part of our practice toward becoming a more diverse, accessible, equitable, and inclusive organization:

• In Summer 2020, members of Boston Lyric Opera’s Board, Staff, and Artists participated in Arts Connect International’s 2020 Cultural Equity Learning Community, a 16-week course that included readings, conversations, lectures.
• In Summer 2020, BLO established a DEI Council comprised of members of BLO’s Board and Staff.
• In Winter 2021, BLO signed the Black Opera Alliance’s Pledge for Racial Equity and Systemic Change in Opera, responding with emphasis around Personnel & Hiring Practices, Board Recruitment & Executive Searches, Artistic Programming & Training and a Code of Conduct.
• In Spring 2021, BLO Board and Staff engaged InclusionBoston through YW Boston, to customize a facilitation process that will lead to an action plan specific to the Company. Our partnership with YW Boston will continue through May 2022.
• In Summer 2021, BLO joined together with the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) to establish the BLO-Union Joint IDEA Committee (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility), an advisory group to discuss issues as they relate to BLO’s work and relationships to the respective local unions.
• In Fall 2021, BLO engaged with the Asian Opera Alliance and have continued conversations about to advocate for greater Asian representation in opera.
• BLO is committed to an anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policy that is reaffirmed annually by the Board, Staff, Artists, Creative and Production Teams.