Daily Mail by Stephen M. Lepore 10/23/2021
White volunteers at Art Institute of Chicago are FIRED after woke consulting firm advised bosses to prioritize 'equity and diversity'
• The 100 volunteers were part of the Art Institute of Chicago's docent program. A docent is a guide or educator who often provides tours at museums
• The program was largely unpaid and on a volunteer basis. It is possible that, should it return, the program will allow for paid docents
• The museum hired a Colorado-based consulting firm that called The Equity Project that told them the program was outdated
• The Equity Project said the program would often skew towards wealthy white women and had too many barriers preventing people of color from entry
• The museum told USA Today that the pause is part of a 'multi-year transition' to a 'hybrid model that incorporates paid and volunteer educators'
The Art Institute of Chicago fired more than 150 volunteers and suspended its decades-old docent program after the famed museum hired a woke consulting firm that advised the cultural institution to ditch the 'wealthy white' guides and prioritize 'equity and diversity.'
Even worse, the mostly elderly docents, who are well-versed on the the exhibits at nearly 150-year-old museum on Lake Michigan, were terminated by email on Sept 3 because it wanted to 'rebuild our program from the ground up.'
The museum - featured prominently in the 1986 hit film Ferris Beuller's Day Off - hired The Equity Project, a Colorado-based consulting firm, which found the program was outdated and would often skew towards wealthy white women and had too many barriers preventing people of color from entering the program.
The Equity Project was founded in response to Donald Trump winning 2016 Presidential Election.
'Today, the Equity Project brings transformative work to organizations across the globe,' the company's bio claims. 'Their expertise lies in creating spaces filled with grace for people to show up as they are, and developing actionable strategies to help organizations advance their equity efforts.'
Just last year, 186 workers - about 30 percent of museum staff - demanded 'transparency' and 'racial equity' amid layoffs.
More:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10123557/White-volunteers-fired-Chicago-museum-people-color-hired-job.html
