Metro Arts Failure of Leadership
Dear Metro Council Members, Mayor Cooper’s office, Metro Arts Commissioners, Metro HR Department,
I recently learned of the conclusion of the Metro HR Fact Finding investigations into complaints made by Ms. Tribble and Ms. Fitzgerald. Despite the mountain of evidence that they found, these two (white) Fact Finders decided the allegations of discrimination concerns were "inconclusive". Even when their report quotes the Civil Service Policy regarding abusive conduct:
"The fact that someone did not intend to be abusive is generally not considered a sufficient defense to a complaint. In most cases, it is the effect of the behavior on the complainant and whether a reasonable person would find the conduct abusive that determines whether the behavior was abusive."
If these women of color (including current employee Janine Christiano who so courageously filed her own complaint this week) found the behavior of Caroline Vincent and Ian Myers and others to be abusive, these women of color should be believed.
It is appalling if not unsurprising that in the report regarding Ms. Fitzgerald, the Fact Finders were unable to "substantiate claims of racial tokenism" within Metro Arts based on Ms. Fitzgerald's claims, but when the very same claim was expressed by a Black man (Mr. Hardin), the Fact Finders believed Metro Arts should address the issue of racial tokenism. In regards to the supervisors of Ms. Fitzgerald, the Fact Finders had nothing negative to say about any of her white supervisors, but they did have the gall to critique Ms. Christiano, Metro Arts' sole Asian-American staff and sole BIPOC manager.
As for the report re: Ms. Tribble, all the evidence points to Metro Arts leadership being concerned about punctuality or time theft. They found mountains of evidence about her odd clocking in/out methods or tardiness, but never once was there any mention of poor job performance - as someone who had the pleasure of working with her, I know that's because she was incredibly good at her job. She worked hard and did amazing work for the City of Nashville, and the City of Nashville told her she needed to punch in and punch out at the right times and make sure she was working all 40 hours every week. Indeed, as she mentioned, those types of attitudes in the workplace are direct descendants of managing enslaved labor - squeezing every possible ounce of work out of a person that they [in today's case, legally] can. Even if she was the only one with such an attendance/punctuality issue - so many in the Nashville arts community knew who she was and the incredible work she was doing. The fact that she was continuously reprimanded to punch the clock is absurd (and perhaps evidence of a much-needed policy change to Metro employee codes).
The "effect of the behavior" of Caroline Vincent, Ian Myers, Rebecca Kinslow, and other white staff and Commission members on these complainants was enough for two of them to leave, and a third to question her job security at Metro Arts. As someone who tries to be a "reasonable person", I would have also found this conduct abusive (and I have worked in an abusive work environment - not racially motivated, but when my supervisor didn't do his job to remove the abusive behavior, I and three others eventually quit).
I have considered applying for a Metro Arts job on multiple occasions. I currently work as an arts admin with ALIAS, Nashville Philharmonic Orch, and Make Music Nashville. I do love the work I get to do by working with all these groups, but I have often wondered if working for Metro Arts would give me the chance to have an even greater impact on the Nashville Arts community. Until last Fall, I had heard only rumors about a toxic workplace, although having personally worked with Olusola Tribble and Laurel Fisher, I was pretty sure something must be up if those amazing folks left the security of a government paycheck to start freelance consulting. The public allegations from last Fall and now, from past and current employees is damning to the organization - unless Ms. Vincent and Mr. Myers leave or are removed from Metro Arts, you can be certain they will not see my job application. How many potential job applicants (especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks) have decided not to apply because of a discriminatory workplace?
Metro Arts is the only Metro Government department with a cultural equity statement. To receive grant funding of any sort, an applicant must include an equity statement (and how their organization/project promotes cultural equity). The Commission has a standing Committee for Antiracism and Equity. Metro Arts is nationally recognized for the REAL program. Metro Arts made Nashville one of three cities to receive federal NEA funding for the initial DIAL program. As someone who works with arts organizations that applies for (and receives) grants, has individually applied to be on CARE and a REAL participant, and has organizationally considered hosting a DIAL participant...why should I believe that Metro Arts staff actually has the support of management to implement these vitally important initiatives? Why should I believe Metro Arts executive leadership has the knowledge, empathy, and desire to properly implement these initiatives? For that matter, why should I believe Chair Jim Schmidt and members of the Metro Arts Commission actually listen to the CARE recommendations or even care about equity when it approves grant funding?
I don't know how investigations like this work - as in, if another department now takes action based on the Fact Finding reports or if it just "goes into the record" and we all move on as if it doesn't matter. Clearly, Metro HR Fact Finders either A) aren't equipped to properly investigate racial discrimination or worse B) have no desire to shake things up and are therefore "inconclusive" in their findings.
Here's what needs to happen for Nashville's primary source of Arts funding and exciting public art initiatives to move forward:
An external HR investigation needs to be conducted, by a third-party, non-Metro Government organization. Ideally, a firm led and staffed primarily by BIPOC, with experience in this type of discrimination.
A pause in any budget increase to Metro Arts by Metro Council. While Nashville funds the arts at an embarrassingly low level compared to every other US city, Metro Arts can not currently be trusted to spend it equitably.
A change in leadership of Metro Arts - Caroline Vincent and Ian Myers should willingly resign or be fired. This will also require a change in leadership of the actual Metro Arts Commission, Chair Jim Schmidt should step down as he has been silently complicit on this matter, resulting in the continuous injury to the Metro Arts staff to which the Commission has a moral and etched-in-the-Nashville-charter legal responsibility.
If none of these steps are taken, it is possible that Metro Arts is in violation of Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and as a recipient of federal funds, may be subject to a Federal Dept. of Justice investigation.
I'll close with what to me was the most obvious evidence that Caroline Vincent has no desire to learn about racial equity in Nashville, and what is simultaneously so infuriating to me as a white (bisexual) male trying to learn and be a better ally. I was a member of what was tentatively called the "White Arts Administrators Anti-racist Accountability Group". It was exactly that - a group of white arts admins in Nashville trying to learn to better serve our co-workers, our employees, our artists, and our communities of color (the eventual goal was to meet with BIPOC arts admins, but we started this way to avoid forcing those folks from taking on any additional pressure or trauma or from feeling any need to forgive or listen to white guilt). We had an independent anti-racist facilitator to guide our conversation, but the discussions were co-hosted by Metro Arts and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville. While somewhat representing Metro Arts, Caroline Vincent was at every one of these meetings that I attended, supposedly under the guise of learning and discussing just like the rest of us. It was also - as stated in the name - an attempt to keep each other accountable personally and organizationally. The last meeting held was in July 2021, the August meeting was canceled a bit at the last minute, I just assumed this was due to so many arts orgs starting back programming. Immediately after the meeting would have taken place, the Nashville Scene article was published. Not only has there not been any further meetings, but there has been absolutely no communication from Director Vincent or Metro Arts regarding the continuation of this group. If - to give her the benefit of the doubt - she was never intentional about her discrimination in the past, this intentional choice of inaction very much proves that she has no desire to learn from or be held accountable for her discrimination once called out.
I look forward to your work to make our city and our Arts Community more just and equitable, starting with those three steps I mentioned above. Please feel free to reach out.
With hope for a better future,
Alan