On Tuesday, February 22 at 10am ET, the New York City Council’s Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations will be hosting a virtual Oversight hearing on “Expanding Access to Cultural Institutions for Underserved BIPOC Youth and the BIPOC Community At Large.” 

This is a critical moment for the arts education community to share how you have been able to teach and deliver programs to BIPOC youth and audiences as well as the successes and challenges you are seeing in reaching underserved BIPOC students and communities. Specific results and examples of successfully providing arts and cultural education to these communities will be the most impactful for continuing to let the City Council know that Arts Education is Essential. We also encourage naming the importance and impact of American Rescue Plan Act Academic Recovery funding alongside the value of continued, dedicated funding to support arts education beyond ARPA.

The Roundtable is calling on our arts education community (yes, YOU!) to testify live at this hearing or to submit written testimony.

Thank you in advance for helping us advocate for this vital issue. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or for testimony feedback at kolsen@nycaieroundtable.org.

I’m Interested, What Next?

The most important thing to do right NOW is register to testify. You do NOT have to submit testimony now, though there is a part of the sign up that asks for it. Simply register your info and submit testimony when you are ready. Directions on how to register are included below. You will be sent a Zoom link for you to sign on that morning. You will be limited to two minutes of speaking time.