I'll be the first to admit that it's really easy for me to get lost into thinking so much about something that I forget that I can do something with it. First of all, the inside of my head is an incredibly fascinating place to be. Second of all, I'm often beset by crippling insecurity, which makes it hard to trust and act on my vision of things. I know this needs to change.
I've used a lot of pixels to talk about diversity in theatre, especially when it comes to race, but I have to confess something: I'm tired of saying the same damn thing. I'm tired of listening to the same damn thing. If, at this point, anybody is still not convinced that diversity is a real problem that requires real effort to fix, there's nothing I can say now that will change their mind. So why waste my time? At this point, diversity in theatre would be better served by me simply creating and putting up my own stuff than participating in any conversation how important diversity is.
That's not to say that discussion is meaningless. Just Do It might work well for a Nike slogan, but I do think that the best actions are those that come from creating a vision, clarifying core principles, and developing a strategy. That said, I do think we must be careful not to get lost in spinning our wheels and following up with real action.
The sad thing is that I know it can be done. I know because I'm seeing it happen in the synagogue I'm a member of. Several people on my synagogue's Anti-Racism Task Force initially came as a way to honor the work and memory of a member who had passed away. However, through several house meetings, we got a real sense of who we were and where we wanted to go. Then we got the Board involved, and that led to several of us participating in an Undoing Racism workshop geared toward religious communities. From there, that led: to a sermon about race for the High Holy Days, organizing house meetings to get more people involved with learning about and doing more with anti-racism at the synagogue, and working with synagogues for Jews of color to make our congregation truly welcoming and inclusive. There is a lot more going on, but I hope you see what I'm getting at.
I must make it clear that most of the people on the Anti-Racism Task Force were not starving artists like me. Most of them were working adults with jobs and families. Most of us don't identify as activists, either. We all come from different backgrounds and life experiences which inform our perspectives. That said, we committed to learning and growing together, and that allowed us to make huge strides in a short amount of time.
This is the experience I want to replicate in theatre. With that in mind, I know I have to make some real decisions.
My first real decision, then, is to only work with people who are committed to anti-racism in theatre. Even if I'm working with an all-women's group or all-LGBTQ organization, experience has taught me that lacking a commitment to anti-racism leads to excluding and exploiting the people of color within these institutions. It's a strategic organizing decision based on how I've seen these things pan out (confirmed by my participation in the Undoing Racism workshop).
This doesn't mean that the whole organization needs to have a complete anti-racist analysis from the onset (though it helps). There are a variety of ways to do this, but putting brown faces on the website doesn't count, nor does tacking on diversity in the mission statement or core values. I need to get a sense that the organization is taking active steps toward learning and growing in that regard. It doesn't have to be anything grand, but if I ask, "What are you doing to make your organization anti-racist?" even something as simple as, "Our Program Director is going to participate in the Undoing Racism Workshop by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond," will mean a lot.
I know this will be more difficult since I'm no longer in NYC, but I'm also still participating in the Task Force despite being hundreds of miles away. There are ways to do this. All I need now are the right people to come with me.
You wrote:
ReplyDelete"All I need now are the right people to come with me."
Are you saying that figuratively, like working with you on theater projects, or do you mean come with you to some geographical place, or both? Or something else?
I'm interested in how you're participating in the Task Force despite being hundreds of miles away, if you don't mind going into some details. That interests me because I want to participate in some things that are hundreds of miles away from me.
I'm saying that I want people to commit to working with me on creating theatre in anti-racist ways. It's not really about a specific production, but about bringing anti-racist principles to every aspect of making theatre, from casting to administration to marketing.
DeleteWith the Task Force, it's easier because although I'm not physically present (I participate via phone), we are at least in the same time zone.
Do you know of any other places besides this blog, and the places where it leads, where I can read about concrete examples of bringing anti-racist principles to every aspect of making theatre?
DeleteDo you participate by phone in the meetings of the task force and/or in the workshops? Other activities?
I only do the Task Force stuff via phone, but that's only because I put in the groundwork in person long beforehand.
DeleteI don't know of any other place that is really dedicated to anti-racism in theatre. There is a lot of talk about diversity in theatre, but that's not quite the same thing.
Have you already worked with people who are committed to anti-racism in theatre? If so, have you already posted about your work with them? If so, can you help me find the posts, and if not, will you?
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't already worked with people with that kind of commitment, could you fantasize about it, and post about your imaginary experiences?
"My first real decision, then, is to only work with people who are committed to anti-racism in theatre. Even if I'm working with an all-women's group or all-LGBTQ organization, experience has taught me that lacking a commitment to anti-racism leads to excluding and exploiting the people of color within these institutions."
Have you seen any individuals committed to anti-racism, in groups whose leadership lacks that commitment? Would you consider working with the group to some degree, if necessary, to be able to work with those individuals?
I want to say that I have worked with people committed to anti-racism in theatre, but in general it's been a sort of touch-and-go thing. We share an awareness about the problem, but we haven't yet taken the next few steps. There are individuals I have in mind for this sort of thing, who have proven to be at the point where I can trust the process with them, but forward momentum has been difficult for logistical reasons.
DeleteAs for the leadership question, that's pretty much par for the course. There is one person or a few people who see a need to do something, but without any real backing or support, it's hard to get somewhere. The thing about anti-racist organizing is that you cannot do it by yourself. You need a support system. That doesn't necessarily have to come from within a specific institution, but it certainly helps when it does.
Can you give examples of what the next few steps might be, with those individuals?
DeleteDo you know of any groups that are taking active steps toward learning and growing in regard to bringing anti-racist principles to every aspect of making theatre? If not, do you have any ideas about how to find them?