Please remember to certify your completion of this orientation, once you are finished, at the bottom of the page.

Unit One: Introduction to Anti-Racism

(24:07 minutes)

Engage

• • Watch How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (1:50 min)
  • Watch: Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice by Megan Ming Francis (19:37 min)
  • Watch What’s Wrong With Saying All Lives Matter? (2:40 min)
    • *Content Warning: This video contains brief yet graphic footage of the murder of George Floyd

Reflect

• • What does it mean to be an anti-racist? How is this different from being “not racist?”
  • Is it possible to be anti-racist in one moment and racist in the next? Explain the importance of recognizing this concept.
  • Evaluate Megan Ming Francis’ statement that “education is a stepping-stone” to activism. List at least one way you will commit to using the information in this lesson to actively support the anti-racism movement.
  • How would you respond to someone who says that it’s “not your place” to educate other white people on issues of race and racism?
  • Why is “Black Lives Matter” such an important statement? Why do you think this statement is so controversial?
  • What is wrong with saying “All lives matter?”

Additional Learning (Optional)

• • Watch Why Does Privilege Make People So Angry? by Franchesca Ramsey (4:51min)
  • Watch 5 Tips for Being an Ally by Franchesca Ramsey (3:44 min)

Unit Three: Implicit Bias & Microaggressions

(24:15 minutes) 

Engage

• • Watch “We all have implicit biases. So what can we do about them?” by Dushaw Hockett (12 min)
  • Watch the video “Starbucks and Racial Bias” (7:40 min)
  • Watch An everyday dimension of racism: Why we need to understand microaggressions by Keele University (6:35 min)

Reflect

• • What are implicit biases? How do they differ from explicit biases?
  • Your friend tells you that they are “not racist” because they would never intentionally treat somebody differently because of their race. Knowing about the concept of implicit bias, how might you respond to that?
  • What are some examples of explicit and implicit biases described in “Starbucks and Racial Bias?”
  • What are microaggressions? How are they a form of racism?
  • What effect do microaggressions have on BIPOC as they navigate their everyday lives?
  • In some instances, microaggressions can be more difficult to directly address than instances of overt racism. Why is this? What are some specific strategies you can employ if someone you know commits a microaggression?

Additional Learning (Optional)

• • Watch If Microaggressions Happened to White People by Franchesca Ramsey (2:40 min)
  • Read Examples of Verbal and NonVerbal Microaggressions from the City of Cambridge (Chart, ~4 min)

Unit Four: Anti-Racism in the Theatre Industry         

(10:15 minutes)              

Engage

• • View the two charts from Actors Equity Association on 1. AEA’S National Racial/Ethnic Distribution and 2. Average Contractual Salaries for AEA members Racial/Ethnic Group (~1 min)
  • Watch Dear Amy Cooper by Griffin Matthews, a testimonial about his experiences at ART (7:15 min)
  • Read the official Statement from We See You,White American Theatre (Document, ~2 min)

Reflect

• • Considering the statistics from Actors Equity Association, why is it essential that theatre companies create standards for minimum BIPOC representation?
  • Does hiring BIPOC artists automatically mean that a theatre company is anti-racist? What can happen when companies use diversity as a means of getting good publicity?
  • If you wanted to promote an anti-racist rehearsal environment, what are some of the issues that you would consider? Use Griffin Matthews’s respective rehearsal experiences to create your list.
  • What can happen when white artists are given creative control over the presentation of Black stories? How might the experiences of BIPOC artists in productions such as Witness Uganda be different with Black leadership?
  • Based on the professional consequences incurred by Griffin Matthews, why do you think that so many racist incidents in the theatre industry go unreported and/or unpunished?
  • In what ways will the dismantling of white supremacy in the theatre industry require sacrifice from white leaders?

Additional Learning (Optional)

• • Read Cooper Howell speaks out about racism at Frozen: Live at Hyperion by Marshall Mabry IV (Article, ~7 min)
  • Read BIPOC Demands for White American Theatre in their entirety (Document, ~45 min)
  • Read Why I Am Fed Up With Performative Activism From White And Black Theater Makers by Tonya Pinkins (Article, ~32 min)

Unit Five: Bystander Intervention Training

(4:20 minutes) 

 Engage

• • Read BYSTANDER ACTION by RacismNoWay (Article, 1:20 min)
  • Read ‘Ism’ Interrupters: 3 Easy Phrases for Newbie Anti-Racists & Allies by Ashley Cleland, M.Ed. (Article, 3 min)

Reflect

• • What is a bystander? What does bystander action look like?
  • Why is it so important to intervene when racist incidents occur?
  • What are some common obstacles to bystander action? How can we overcome these obstacles in order to act?
  • How would you engage the 4 D’s of Bystander Intervention in a social situation, such as a coworker telling a racist joke? How would you use this same strategy in a more high-stakes situation, such as witnessing racial harassment?
  • What is one “ism interrupter” that you can make your go-to response for shutting down racist comments?

Additional Learning (Optional)

• • Read THE FOUR D’s of BYSTANDER INTERVENTION by American Friends Service Committee (4 min)
  • Read Stand Up: A Guide to Bystander Intervention by Harvard Civil Rights- Civil Liberties Law Review (4:30 min)
  • Read How to Be an Active Bystander When You See Casual Racism By Ruth Terry (Article, 9:30 min)

Unit Six: Jews of Color

(24.25 minutes) 

 Engage

• • Read Jews of Color and the Policing of White Space by Rebecca Peirce (7:45 min.)
  • Read I’m a Jew of color. I won’t be quiet about anti-Semitism. By Soraya Nadia Mcdonald (10:30 min.)
  • Read What Not to Say to Jews of Color — and What to Say Instead by Allison Barnes (6:50 min)

Reflect

• • Describe any deep relationships you have with Jews of Color. If you do not have any, why?
  • When you meet a Jew of Color, what are your assumptions about them and their proximity to Judaism? Interracial marriage? Conversion?
  • Do you hold multiple identities? How has holding multiple identities affected you?

 Additional Reading (Optional)

• • Read Be’Chol Lashon page Counting Jews (4 min.)
  • Read Racism in the Jewish Community by Rabbi Sandra Lawson and Donna Cephas (4 min.)

Once you have viewed or read all the above, please be sure to complete the form at the link here (via Google Forms) to certify your completion of the orientation.

Please do not forget this step, or we will not have a record of your participation and you may be required to complete this orientation again.

As Theater J implements this orientation, your feedback would be a valuable addition to our process. To provide your feedback, please contact Artistic Director Hayley Finn at hayley@theaterj.org or Managing Director David Lloyd Olson at david@theaterj.org.