During the month of July, the Baltimore School for the Art’s Board of Trustees hosted a series of listening forums as a first step in identifying and addressing racism at BSA. Alum Josh A. Campbell ’10 moderated sessions for students, parents, alumni, and faculty/staff respectively.
Each session was recorded, with participants’ permission. In full transparency, transcripts have been provided. names have been removed for privacy.
BSA – its administration, staff, and board, unequivocally supports the Black Lives Matter movement. We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the violence that is regularly perpetrated against Black people in our country and community.
That must change.
BSA will enter the next school year committed to asking tough questions of ourselves, to lean into difficult conversations, and to affect change in both the short-term and in the future.
In 2018, Dr. Chris Ford requested that BSA commission a school wide equity audit to evaluate and address inequity in the school. With the support of the Board of Trustees, the BSA Foundation raised funding to engage the consulting firm, Sage Wellness, to help identify problems and to provide a deeper understanding of racial issues at BSA.
Beginning in the spring of 2019, Sage Wellness conducted a full equity audit with quantitative and qualitative analysis; focus groups and surveys with employees (both FT and PT), students, parents and board members, looking at issues at achievement and opportunity gap, attendance rates, test scores, college placements.
In response to the audits results, anti-racist and equity workshops were held during the 2019-2020 school year before schools were closed in March due to Covid-19. Below is the full summary and results of BSA’s equity audit.
Sage Wellness Executive Summary for Baltimore School for the Arts