Get informed.

Recent events have brought to the forefront the urgent need for educators everywhere to seek resources on how to address racism and marginalization in the classroom, and many have expressed a need to begin by educating themselves first.  A wonderful starting point can be found on the website of the National Art Education Association,  "Black Lives Matter; An Open Letter to Art Educators on Constructing an Anti-Racist Agenda".  This powerful piece is written by Dr. James Haywood Rolling, Jr., Professor of Arts Education at Syracuse University and President-Elect of the National Art Education Association, shares a personal perspective along with concrete actions arts educators can take.  Another highly recommended resource is the National Museum of African-American History and Culture’s Talking About Race.  For an informative look at anti-racist theatre practices read "We See You White American Theatre"by the Ground We Stand On coalition. 

For more resources - this list of links originally published by the Arts Education Partnership offers a great beginning:

• Ibram X. Kendi: How to build an antiracist world
• Let's get to the root of racial injustice | Megan Ming Francis | TEDxRainier
• Keynote Address with Shawn Ginwright, Phd : Discusses the role arts educators need to play in the post-COVID-19 world to support reconnection and healing after this time of uncertainty and isolation.
• Putting Racism on the Table video series by the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
• What is Systemic Racism? Video Series by Race Forward
• Racial Equity During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic (conversation with Ibram X. Kendi, New York Times bestselling author and founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University).
• Webinar on Abolitionist Teaching in a Global Pandemic featuring Bettina Love
• Cook Ross (DEI Consulting agency) Webinars

Get inspired. 

Great teaching resources, blogs, professional development, lesson plans and op ed pieces created by people of color may be found on the website Teaching Tolerance, especially their Black Lives Matter page.

Student resources.

Looking for plays or other resources to add to your curriculum?  Here are some links to help you get started; watch for a more complete list coming soon. 

Black Work Broadway tracking plays by people of color on Broadway.  Open Source Scripts Toward an Anti-racist Tomorrow by Idris Goodwin.  Free for production as long as no admittance fee is charged. The Diversity Production Pro Project Vocational training in the trades and skills required for careers in the Artists, Crafts, and Technicians departments of the entertainment industry in alignment with Assembly Bill 1664 Bocanegra/Calderon Film and Television Workforce Development Program. 

Finally, if you are looking for ways to start the conversation with your students; explore social justice theatre.  Social justice theatre resources may be found right here on Theatre Educator Pro.  Archives of webinars on teaching social justice from 2019 and early 2020 are collected below.  Please continue to watch this space as we add links to our Culturally Inclusive Teaching webinars planned for later in the summer of 2020, along with more offerings next season. We hope the live and archived versions of these webinars will make a timely addition to your professional learning.