The Board of Directors for Lakeshore Arts is being accused of skirting around their anti-Black equity policies in the recent hiring of an executive director.

The well-known arts program, in an open letter on social media, said they are engaging in an external consultant ‘who specializes in anti-oppression and anti-racism training.’

“This is the first of many steps that will need to be taken to help identify and eliminate white supremacy within Lakeshore Arts,” stated the August 31 letter signed off by the program’s Board of Directors.

It all began after an urgent August 18 letter from Natassia Morris, a former Operations Manager at Lakeshore Arts (LSA), that was signed by six other Black artists.

They claim the recent executive director’s position, which was vacant, was obtained by Ashley Watson, another white woman, despite the program’s anti-black and equality policies that was put in place last June, in which staff committed look at other nationalities for jobs and opportunities.

“We will work to ensure that racialized people attain leadership positions in our organization not only part time, temporary or entry level positions,” Morris wrote.

She complained that Watson had previously held other positions on the Board and was staff at Lakeshore Arts.

‘Your placement of …, another white woman, as the new leader of LSA was a violent action towards the Black communities that support you,” Morris’ letter stated. “It is for this reason that I as a former member of LSA management team and a Black woman (along with other artists) simply cannot remain silent.”

She wrote “the culture of silence equates to complicity, and it has created a dangerous and toxic environment for Black artists, community and non-profit workers.”

“Your placement of Ashley at the helm of your organization is rooted in white supremacist culture,” the letter alleged. “It is a vicious cycle that we have seen repeated ad nauseam.”

They accused the Arts program of harbouring racism.

“Just as anti-Black racism has been an insidious, often unacknowledged across Canada, so too your organization actively evaluate and confront how you have maintained systemic racism and oppression,” the group said. “How will you take action against those in all your operations.”

The Board said there is an “urgent need to be held accountable for our actions in order to confront and dismantle white supremacy in our organization.”