DEI Information

To be stewards of all histories and cultures found within New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Gulf South, the Historic New Orleans Collection strives to be inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible. In 2020 HNOC formed a staff committee focused on these values. The IDEA committee includes members from several departments working together to raise our awareness of these issues and find ways to better represent and welcome the communities we serve.  

Committee members seek out best practices in the field and adapt them for our institution. The IDEA committee focuses on inclusion based on ability, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, age, and economic status, as well as their various intersections. These perspectives are applied both internally and externally as we work to make HNOC an inviting, top-tier organization for everyone.  

Since the committee’s formation it has developed or accelerated a number of measures within the institution, all in accordance with one or more of the committee’s five pillars of achievement. 

• Large-print labels and magnifying glasses for visitors 
• Welcoming signage for all 
• Kulture City Certification for staff to best serve individuals with sensory needs 
• Sensory-Friendly Saturdays
• Wheelchairs available in the Taylor Welcome Center
• Aids or companions assisting a guest in a wheelchair receive complimentary admission to guided tours.

• More inclusive language in exhibits and publications 
• Increased diversity in hiring, board makeup, and hiring committees 
• Comp and discount tickets to priced events for students, with particular emphasis on HBCUs 
• Increased diversity of people and subjects depicted in collections on display, as well as in the acquisition of new collections items 
• Increased diversity of program speakers and topics  

• Employees are encouraged to display pronoun options in email signatures.
• Removal of gendered language and expectations from the staff dress code 
• Increased representation in acquisition and interpretation of objects
• Ongoing programming partnership with the LGBT+ Archives of Louisiana

• Large-print labels and magnifying glasses for visitors 
• Buses provided for transport of K–12 students to French Quarter campus
• Increased interactive elements in museum exhibitions to encourage tactile engagement
• Community Days intended for all ages, produced quarterly

• RTA passes for employees 
• Posting salary ranges for advertised job openings  
• Paid internships 
• Complimentary, pay-what-you-can, and sliding-scale tickets for some paid events
• Shop initiative of carrying majority locally made products at a variety of price points