Help Us Amplify Underrepresented Military Spouse Artist Voices

MilspoFAN is an inclusive network that will not tolerate racism, hate, or discrimination. As artists and human beings, we know that a broad spectrum of voices makes us better, smarter, and stronger. As an organization, we have a platform to make a change.

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement and in light of the recent LGBTQ+ supreme court workplace ruling, our volunteer leadership team is taking a hard look at our organization and the content we present.

When I look back on the 43 artist interviews we have published over the last four years, I see mostly white cisgender straight women.

We can do better.

It's not enough to disavow racism and bigotry. We have a responsibility to make sure that our work is actively anti-racist and anti-hate. As an organization we are making a formal commitment to these actions:

We will actively and intentionally seek out and highlight more underrepresented voices in our Artist Interviews - including artists whose voices increase the diversity of race, gender, sexuality, gender identity, and religious belief in our network.

We will examine our organizational processes, seeking out and dismantling any unconscious discrimination that may contribute to a homogenous network.

We will invite diverse voices to join our volunteer leadership team WITHOUT expecting them to carry the burden of leading diversity efforts or speaking as a representative for any marginalized group.

We will not become complacent and will not forget our commitments when/if the news cycle and social media trends move on.

We will not make excuses that undermine these efforts and will remain open to learning from our inevitable mistakes.

What you can do to help:

Help us discover military spouse artists (of all disciplines) to feature who identify as myelinated, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ or any other underrepresented group. (You can PM us on Facebook or Instagram (@milspofan) or Contact Us here on the blog to nominate an artist)

Point out our blind spots when say something or act in a harmful way. We are open to constructive criticism.

Thank you in advance for your support in this important mission.

As military spouses, our families sacrifice and our spouses put their lives on the line for our country. We can take these humble but meaningful actions to make the United States a better, safer home for everyone.

We are always moved by the stories and creative work of our MilspoFAN artist. I can't wait to see what's to come.