Diversity and Inclusion Statement – Carin Jacobs
For 8 years, I was on the steering committee of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ rights organization in the country. My position on the board was Diversity and Inclusion Co-chair, where I developed strategies for outreach into underrepresented groups. The goal was to get as many voices at the table of the LGBTQ movement that was gaining momentum in the U.S., so the trajectory of our work was inclusive, thoughtful and just. We felt that too much of the national focus was coming from voices of privileged groups and that the voices of women, B.I.P.O.C., seniors and the trans communities, among others, were not being heard. I learned a lot in those 8 years, not just about how to make an organization more diverse, but more importantly, what it really means to be inclusive. To include….not just to invite to the table, but to serve, to give of yourself and to understand. To reach out to people that you are not familiar with, that you have no history with, and invite them to trust you. I learned about barriers I had never personally encountered or even considered. I heard stories of unjust, sometimes cruel treatment. But most importantly, I learned to listen. Looking back at the historic achievements of the last 10 years, I am so proud that I was a part of this group, this ever-expanding diverse group of Americans that fought for our rights. I was honored to be invited by the Mayor of Long Beach, Ca to speak at City Hall to over 300 residents on the topic of LGBTQ families.
I continued with my diversity work in the academic setting as a campus LGBTQ mentor. I was partnered with students that wanted to connect with someone on campus as a confidant, counselor or friend. I became the faculty advisor of the Equality Club and encouraged the students to be seen, to use their voices and promote their outreach to the rest of the campus. I encourage them to make connections with other groups on campus and share their stories. Stories and experiences are what change hearts and minds. If we tell our human stories, the world becomes a more intimate space.
I am currently a founding member of CSUDH Theatre and Dance Dept. Equality Task Force. At CSU Dominguez Hills, our student body is made up of a majority of black and brown students that are first generation college learners. We strive to provide equal opportunity for those whose outlets are within the arts and decolonize the structures of our theatrical pedagogy. Our goal is to provide a safe and inclusive space for artists to develop skills and share their stories through voice and movement. We also try to help them manage their expectations and to provide support in balancing identity, belonging, community and family. One example of this that we are implementing immediately, is to produce one play or musical that addresses a BIPOC, LGBTQ or underrepresented community each semester. This semester we produced Confessions of Women From East L.A. by Josefina Lopez (who spoke to our students via Zoom) and next semester we are producing Surge of Power, a devised piece written by the students on themes of the Black Lives Matter movement. We want our students to see people of stage that look like them, that have stories to tell that they relate to and to be inspired to tell their own stories through the arts.
As theatre artists we are storytellers and collaborators. In my theatre classes I encourage my students to tell their stories of personal hardship and triumph; to tell stories of their uniqueness. I also require them to watch and listen to stories of others, and try to connect to the universal emotion being expressed. I took my students to South Coast Repertory see a play called Cambodian Rock Band about a woman who goes back to her roots in Cambodia to try and find answers to some mysteries from her childhood. The story took us back in time through the difficult history of the Khmer Rouge and the story of her family's escape. The play was infused with music; all told through the performance of a 1960's Cambodian Rock Band. It was powerful, enlightening and emotional. When we reconvened to discuss the play, one of my students, an African American woman who was an older, returning student, told the class that she never knew anything about this period in history, about Cambodian people or even, truthfully, where Cambodia was on a map. She continued to say on the verge of tears, "My eyes have been opened and my life is really changed after seeing that play. I only knew the history of black people in this country and what we've been through, but now I see we are not alone". Theater is so very powerful.
I have also made a concerted effort to diversify my course content. For example, I use PowerPoint presentations in my Costume History classes that are filled with illustrative photos as we discuss other cultures, gender roles and racial hierarchies; photos of people from various time periods in historic or traditional clothing. I try to update my images frequently to include examples showing people of all types, when appropriate, so that my students will see examples on screen that look like them. Additionally, I have a diversity statement on my syllabi that encourages all voices to be heard and all voices to be respected in my classroom.