Diversity & Inclusion Statement
The industry inches toward diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplaces, studios, and classrooms. The best way for me to help this process along is to model what white men in power can and should be doing at this nexus of progress in our practices. There is a common proclivity among well- intentioned white men to make room for diverse voices by silencing themselves. A problematic result is that white men without good intentions become the loudest.
We, as a predominantly white and inherently privileged industry, must do better, and not incrementally. White producers and cisgender directors and male professors have to recognize our privilege and our power, let go of some of it, and use what’s left to amplify other voices. We have to help raze the power structures that make kings and kingmakers possible. We have to break rules we’ve sanctified and denounce practices we’ve deemed precious. As arts organizations and universities around the country have struggled to diversify and develop restorative practices, it has become abundantly clear to me that white allies and antiracists are key to transformation. Too many companies and schools are trying to stop the bleeding by hiring a person of color and calling it a day. Many universities are finding ways to bring more BIPOC students to their campuses, but the structures in place have not altered, which sets those folx up for trauma. These organizations, and especially the well-intentioned white people within them, must do the necessary, uncomfortable, and ongoing work. The practice of antiracism is lifelong and always evolving.
I have accepted that I have inherent biases. I have examined my blind spots and attuned my senses to various kinds of microaggressions. I have learned to handle and even relish uncomfortable conversations. I’ve listened. I’ve made space. I have empowered and amplified, and I will continue to do so as long as I live.