Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

at the National Lutheran Choir

Explore with Jennaya Robison what we consider sacred and how the NLC is working to expand our notion of the sacred.

Composer, organist, church musician and conductor Tom Trenney shares his wealth of wisdom on the role of music in creating an open and welcoming sacred space where we can share one another's songs.

Composer Melissa Dunphy discusses the joys and challenges of writing music for sacred spaces, as well as the value of choral music in helping people think about challenging topics.

Select an issue of Common Threads below to hear from the DEI Committee on various topics!

  • When we gather to share sacred music, we acknowledge that the lands on which we perform are the ancestral and contemporary homelands seized from Dahkóta, Anishinaabe, and other Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge that the creation stories of the Dahkóta, Anishinaabe, and other indigenous people are rooted in this place and they were the first to love, pray, grow, celebrate, cry, drum and sing upon this land. We recognize the profoundly sacred relationship that our Native siblings have with the land, and we ask for forgiveness for the ways we have violated that which is sacred to them, and that which sustains us all.

  • The National Lutheran choir recognizes that God's existence cannot be limited to any one gender. Predominately masculine imagery and language for God has marginalized members of our community, especially women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. When possible, the NLC strives to use inclusive language when referring to God and humanity. However, there are times when musical and poetic material is not changed to preserve the intentions of the composer and poet or because copyright laws prohibit changes. The spirit in which we offer our musical gifts is one of inclusivity for all humanity.

  • The National Lutheran Choir acknowledges that we, as a choir of predominantly white singers, perform music that comes from traditions outside of our lived experience. We aim to honor, respect, and present the stories of others with care — especially people of color, immigrants, refugees, and enslaved Africans. African American Spirituals, Gospel, Jazz, folk songs, and songs from other cultures and traditions are a treasured resource for the choral community. Creators of these art forms have not always been given full credit for their work. The NLC is working on new ways of building relationships and generating support for organizations which represent people whose lived experience include these pieces of culture.

  • As an organization, we begin this charter with the confession that we have been complicit in the structures and activities of systemic racism and set out this work in a spirit of repentance and humility…

    The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee provides oversight, inspiration, and guidance for the board, staff, choir, supporters, and audience to assist NLC to become a continually evolving inclusive organization, with strategies and benchmarks by which the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion progress of the organization can be measured.

    The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee serves as a curator of resources for the board, staff, choir, supporters, and audience on topics of race/ethnicity, age, ability, size, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, and religion.

    The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee engages the board, staff, choir, supporters, and audience in conversations about aforementioned topics.

    • With the intention of building comfort in having conversation

    • With the intention of building awareness

    • With the intention of identifying opportunities for positive growth and change

    • With the intention of leading by example

    • With the intention of building a more equitable society, nation, and world

    The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee identifies opportunities for “reciprocal relationships with BBI (Black, Brown, Indigenous) communities that resist notions of white saviorism” (Black Voices Matter Pledge, 2020).

    The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee assists the board in identifying annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training opportunities for the board, staff, and choir.

    The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee learns about/researches world views, traditions, artistic gifts from the global community to assist with infusing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into the NLC organization.

    The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee will perform an annual review of its achievements set out in this charter and present a report of that evaluation to the Board at its May meeting.

    Approved by the NLC Board of Directors in November 2020.