Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Art Handling Workforce

In planning for the 2019 PACCIN Preparators Conference in Amsterdam, we chose to dedicate
more time to two topics that our field is currently grappling with. One was mitigating vibration,
and the other diversity, equity, and inclusion. Talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion is
important, urgent, and difficult. I am humbled by the courage of those who volunteered to take
the stage and share their perspectives and experiences, and I was honored to introduce the
presentations that focused on these topics and to moderate a DEI discussion. We received so
many thanks and much encouragement from the PACCIN community, and we are grateful to be
able to share this content with all of you now.

We have a long way to go before our prep crews are representative of the communities they
work in. After reflection on the prep conference and the reception of the topic of diversity, equity,
and inclusion, I realize that we cannot talk about this every two years and expect people to
change beliefs instilled over a lifetime. The best way to change our unconscious biases is to see
images that contradict them. I challenge the PACCIN community to show what diverse teams
can do. For the next prep conference, propose a presentation showing your team at work
highlighting their technical skills and abilities.

With gratitude,

Julia Latane
Former PACCIN Programs Committee Chair and currently a member of the PACCIN Advisory
Committee