MISSION

Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) is a national, grassroots service organization dedicated to creating transformational change in the arts sector. We do this by championing racial equity as a basic tenet of eliminating systemic disparities in the field and by providing a platform to help strengthen and amplify the voice and visibility of women of color,* leaders who are disproportionately affected by inequitable structures and practices. By working to fortify leadership and reinforce a world where everyone holds shared power at the decision-making table, WOCA aims to cultivate a just and inclusive field with the intent of creating equitable systems for all to prosper inside and outside of the arts.

*WOCA uses the term “women” to encompass all those that self-identify as women or with womanhood including non-binary, transgender, and cisgender women. Our intention is to uplift and address the very specific ways in which this particular group of people, and their multiple identities, are impacted by various forms of oppression, notably sexism and racism. WOCA uses the term “women of color” as an organizing tool, acknowledging the expression is a political designation, not a biological one, and borne out of a solidarity movement originating from the labor of Black women.