Blog Archives

Social Justice Action Item: Read and watch #HonorNativeLand - A Guide and Call to Acknowledgement from the U.S. Dept. of Arts and Culture.

11/23/2020

Where to access: at usdac.us/nativeland or by following this link.
Time needed: 10+ minutes
What it's about: How and why to practice land acknowledgment of the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of the land on which you stand.
Discussion questions:
- What did you learn from reading the call and watching the #HonorNativeLand video? What surprised you? What challenged your thinking?
- What is land acknowledgement? Why introduce the practice of land acknowledgement?
- Imagine this practice widely adopted: imagine cultural venues, classrooms, conference settings, places of worship, sports stadiums, and town halls, acknowledging traditional lands. What does that world look like? How does the idea make you feel?
Further Action:
- Download and read the #HonorNativeLand Guide
- Identify the traditional inhabitants of the land you are on and develop your own land acknowledgement. https://native-land.ca provides a good starting place.
- Print, customize, and post #HonorNativeLand art.
- Share the #HonorNativeLand Guide and call others in your network to action.
- Build relationships: Find out if there are active Native groups or organizations in or near your community. Learn about their
  work and see how you can support them.

11/3/2020

Read the American Theatre Magazine Article 'Developing Trans Roles for the Theatre,' by Regina Victor.

Where to read: at AmericanTheatre.org or by following this link.
Time needed: 10 minutes
What it's about: Director Regina Victor interviews 4 TGNC (Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming) performers on their most positive and challenging work experiences, when it comes to discussing gender, on and off the stage.
Discussion questions:
- What did you learn from reading this article? What surprised you? What challenged your thinking?
- Parker Guidry argues that the only way to get beyond 'making a statement' by having a TGNC performer in a show is to make it a more common practice. How can you begin the conversation at home that normalizes this practice? How can you begin it in your workplace? Amongst your friends? Family?
- At the end of the article is a list of things to consider when asking a TGNC performer to work for your company. What can you add to this list? How can you implement these practices into your workplace, even if you don't work in theatre?