A more beautiful, healthier and happier place

Developing green and smart infrastructure solutions in communities, municipalities, and global contexts requires a multi-disciplinary approach and collaboration among various stakeholders, including policymakers, urban planners, engineers, architects, community groups, and citizens. The goal of this summit is to articulate ways that we might co-create responses to inequities in these spaces in order to support the inclusion of marginalized populations equitably in public policy decisions and generate lasting impact.

At the invitation of the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles, Tom of Finland Foundation was invited to the NCEI Summit presented by RAND Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy.

TOM OF FINLAND Untitled, 1980, Color pencil on paper, 18.00” x 15.89” © 1980 Tom of Finland Foundation

Equality is treating everyone the same, while equity is ensuring everyone has what they need to be successful. Public commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion need to become part of the fabric of organizations.

ToFF’s purpose is to educate the public on the cultural merits of erotic art and how it promotes healthier, more tolerant attitudes about sexuality, something we like to believe has universality.

Historically, the Gay rights master frame stumbled by not taking into account every part of its individual participants’ identity.

Typically, the smaller the organization, the narrower its focus.

Under the banner of open society, we imagine green initiatives as the catalyst for different communities to engage with each other who may not have previously had occasion for dialogue remembering that those who contribute the least to climate change are most often in harm’s way. 

Artists see where we have been, we we are and where we can go.

Artists preserve life as we know it even better than historical fact-based records. Art expresses how it feels to exist in a particular time.

Art has been instrumental in being the harbinger of change in society. It can provide creative, intellectual and emotional insights into society at large, informing populations while challenging the status quo.

Governing bodies can employ murals, paintings and sculpture to change public opinion and launch public informational campaigns. 

Art helps cultures unite and educate—helping the world become a more beautiful, healthier and happier place in which to live.

We can all make a difference.

Co-sponsored by RAND’s Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy (CAREP), the Consulate General of Finland – LA, and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany – LA.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CENTER

Published: 23rd May 2023

Categorised in: News