The San Francisco Opera has announced the establishment of the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Community.

Starting on August 1, 2019, the new department will be led by Charles Chip McNeal who is the current Senior Curriculum & Program Manager in the San Francisco Opera Education Department.

Per a press release, the newly established body’s mission is to place a premium on diversity, equity, and inclusion both within the organization and outside of it. The department will continue its ARIA residency program which connects elementary and middle school students and teachers with the process of creating opera. It will also continue the company’s program that reaches out to the wider community.

“By establishing a Department of Diversity, Equity and Community, San Francisco Opera is making a bold move in a time of critical change in our country’s history, and certainly in the State of California,” said Charles Chip Mc Neal in the press release. “We know that in order to remain relevant, it is imperative that arts organizations large and small make intentional efforts to better engage diverse communities meaningfully as we develop strategies to address racial and cultural inequity in the arts. The arts and culture sectors have always been at the forefront of social change and evolving sociocultural identity. We must leverage that power in responsible and responsive ways. We are part of a local, statewide and global movement to address cultural equity and inclusion. We will lead with diversity, embrace equity and strive for inclusivity in all our work, onstage and in community.”