A Racial Awakening - The Necessity of Authentic Inclusion in the Performing Arts
How many times, recently, have you heard or used the phrase, “We are in unprecedented times”? It has been used often in the past several months because it is undeniably true. A global pandemic has ravaged our economy, impacted the well-being of our community, and created a way of life that has us all in various stages of adjustment.
Amidst this unsettling health crisis, however, another crisis necessarily took the spotlight. The killing of George Floyd, by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020, galvanized our communities in a way that hasn’t been seen since the civil rights movement of the 1960s. But this time, there aren’t just a few white voices speaking out against racial injustice. Businesses and not-for-profit organizations alike are taking a hard look at themselves to understand how they have contributed to the systemic racism pervasive in our society.
The arts are no exception. Shortly after Floyd’s death and the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement, a group of American Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) theatre workers drafted a new “social contract” which included their demands of White American Theatre (weseeyouwat.com). Across North America, arts organizations and arts consulting groups began posting their commitments to social justice on their websites, with an emphasis on ‘doing the work’ of learning and listening, and embracing the discomfort that comes with this work, in order to effect lasting change.
Of course, this is a good start. But we need to be wary of passing fancies and bandwagon behaviour during this moment in time. Canadian music writer and art critic, Michael Zarathus-Cook, wrote on the Against the Grain Theatre blog, “What we have to wake up to is that diversity has always been a way to avoid the harder work of inclusivity, the harder work that isn’t merely tolerating minority artists and audience members, but actively encouraging and reminding your colleagues and donors that the performing arts needs them. That it’s their culture too.”
We all need to continue to do this work, recognizing that racialized voices and experiences have always been a part of our collective culture, contributing to the vibrancy of our communities in ways that have often gone unrecognized. However, institutionalized racism has often forced these voices to the margins, creating a culture of ‘the other’.
As a first step, Arts Commons has compiled a preliminary list of anti-racist resources, which provide an opportunity to learn some of what we do not know, recognize and acknowledge our own inherent racism, and to make the difficult seismic shifts within ourselves and our communities that are so obviously necessary.
Alex Sarian, President and CEO of Arts Commons said, "As we acknowledge that these injustices and racist biases are manifested systemically in institutions and societies around the world, we must also recognize that a move towards justice and anti-racist behavior must be systemic in nature if we are to sustain any sense of progress. Anyone with the ability to modify and improve the systems of an organization or community has a responsibility to create the change to respond to the urgency of our times."
Of course, no change of this magnitude happens overnight. And no matter what we do, it may never be enough, at least, perhaps, not in our lifetime. But a long journey should not discourage us. Meaningful change takes time. So, what steps can we take in the arts? First, is to awaken to the fact that systemic racism exists in our sector. Once we accept that harsh reality, we begin to see evidence of it all around us; the white faces on our boards and in leadership teams, the lack of opportunity for input from BIPOC in decision-making, the gaps in our own diversity commitments. Broadening our view and working to include BIPOC artists and leaders in meaningful ways is a necessary step in recognizing the work of underserved communities both past and present, so that our future truly represents the multiplicity of communities, histories, and perspectives.
As a result of the Black Lives Matter revival and the call for arts organizations to look inwards and beyond their traditional scope, many BIPOC artists are now finding opportunities to have their voices heard like never before. And people are listening. For instance, Indigenous artist Dillan Meighan Chiblow is Anishinaabe from Garden River First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and is the creator and host of the new podcast, Voicing the Circle. On his Soundcloud page, the medicine wheel is shown, graphically represented in quadrants of black, white, yellow, and red. Medicine wheels can have many interpretations, depending on the Indigenous nation / culture, and one of the interpretations applies to race. The podcast’s goal is “to give voices to each part of the circle” and Chiblow hopes to “encourage people to understand Indigenous issues through their own lived experiences”; a worthy goal for all BIPOC individuals and communities.
This is just one example of numerous artists who are finally having their voices heard. Are you ready to listen? What kind of changes would you like to see? Send us your thoughts and ideas to engage@artscommons.ca.
