Nothing worth changing ever evolved by staying “comfortable.” We must all embrace the discomfort and do the hard work that challenges our privilege, cognitive dissonance, and internal biases.

We want you to know that:

1. Bash Creative Inc is a safe space. It’s easy to write, it’s harder to prove. Trust happens over time, with each interaction…we get that. We want you to know that whether you work at Bash Creative Inc, are a friend/vendor/client of Bash, or simply passing through. We are a company that actively fosters belonging and expression of beliefs proudly and loudly.

2. Perpetuating the status quo is not an option. It would be easy to point to a zero-tolerance policy for racism and discrimination in our employee handbook (because it’s there). But what good is a policy if it’s not met with action, or worse yet, is contradicted by action? That is why this commitment is as much about acknowledging that Black Lives Matter as it is about committing in writing to Bash Creative Inc’s Equity Commitment.

3. There is a richness in diversity. As Event and Experience Producers, we understand that richness and personalization is only possible with a diverse set of perspectives. We strive to look at our company from every lens and recognize that we, Bash Creative, are not diverse. Until we are able to accomplish this, we choose to surround ourselves with rich and diverse perspectives through our vendors, clients, mentors, and community. We know we can be even more diligent and will not stop searching for these opportunities as well as committing to creating more opportunities for BIPOC, LBGTQ, and other underrepresented communities within our company and our industry.

EQUITY COMMITMENT

Bash Creative Inc isn’t perfect. Our current team & professional networks reflect our privilege and the demographics of where we grew up, currently live, and have worked. Rather than defending this, we’re putting the uncomfortable truth out there and letting it stand. Because we are much more interested in fixing it than justifying it.

**We are committed to the following: **

**Acknowledging our privilege** and unconscious biases… if we slip up, we will listen to understand, apologize without excuses, and not repeat it.

**Educating ourselves** on systemic racism, oppression, and white supremacy in this country. This includes encouraging employees to do the same by maintaining a list of resources on our internal company dashboard and providing required training opportunities for employees on Diversity & Inclusion within Bash Creative Inc.

**Speaking up** and offering a learning opportunity when someone outside of Bash Creative Inc makes a racist or discriminatory comment, including if that person is a partner or a client (this is already our behavior at Bash Creative Inc).

**Recognizing & eliminating microaggressions** in the workplace, including verbal and non-verbal behaviors (such as interruptions while speaking), disproportionate assignment of administrative tasks, using different descriptions for the same behavior, and diminished expectations or underestimations.

**Diversifying our recruitment process** with the goal of interviewing and hiring diverse candidates…we need to create more opportunities for BIPOC candidates to enter into the industry. We plan to not only recruit for diversity for our top positions but also create paid entry-level internships and positions with flexible schedules to remove any additional barriers of entry for BIPOC, LBGTQ, and other underrepresented communities within our company and our industry.

**Diversifying our networks** by seeking out professional associations who prioritize inclusion and staying vigilant to identify potential biases from our networking activities. We are also connecting and getting involved with local community colleges and underserved neighborhoods in our backyards.

**Providing emotional support to our employees**, including acknowledging that catastrophic national events involving race have profound personal effects on mental health. We hope to de-stigmatizing “mental health days” and support time off to protest and volunteer. We encourage participation at any level.

**Creating a company culture with Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity** as an integral part of who we are, not just a policy statement, not just a “to-do” item on a list, and not something that can be “tackled” later.

**Continuing to learn and embrace agility** to keep our policies, standards, and values current and relevant. As we learn, we will shift. We are an ever-evolving company that is committed to continuing to grow. As we seek out diverse relationships in all areas of our company, we understand we will be challenged and need to lean on our agility to react and adjust as needed. This is how we become stronger and better.

**Being TRANSPARENT** is our cornerstone value at Bash Creative Inc. We will continue to embody this value and be transparent with our team about our progress toward these goals by reviewing them, at minimum, each quarter during our weekly meetings.