As part of its Antiracism, Access, and Equity Policy, Delaware Shakespeare committed to ongoing antiracism training for Board and staff. In 2021, the training took the form of an eight-part monthly Antiracism Learning Discussion. The discussions were focused on approximately 20 hours-worth of articles and videos originally compiled for New Repertory Theatre (Watertown, MA) under the leadership of Michael J. Bobbitt. You can see the curated material HERE.
Kim Graham moderated our monthly discussions. At the close of the last session, Kim asked the group to reflect on one concrete thing they were taking away from the discussions and one piece of advice they would share with people starting to work through the material. Here are a sample of the replies.
The reflections conclude with a poem written by Board member S. Todd Townsend, capturing his experience with the discussions.
MARILYN WHITTINGTON
I loved all the material, though certainly some of it was challenging. And it was surprising how hard it was for me. With unconscious bias, we have to continually check our attitudes. Unless we are really working at them, we carry them with us.
For people doing this work, move it forward. Share these materials out. And no matter your age or status, dive into it.
VANESA SIMON
I’ve started thinking about white supremacy as not people, but as an energy that’s been flowing through humanity for a long time. And that it’s bigger than me, than one of us, and it’s something that has shaped us without us knowing. It’s deeply embedded in all of our cultures. The awareness has been so helpful. It has sparked conversations with my family, and kids, my husband – it’s been helpful. Seeing it as something bigger than us helps me to not demonize any one person – it’s the most helpful way to process it, so I don’t get stuck in white supremacy. White supremacy turns us into what we don’t like. It’s an insidious energy that has shaped us and we have to fight to not be that way. If I don’t, I could turn around and hurt people the way that white supremacy has hurt me.
I would advise people to be open. And to realize we all have work to do.
JULIE RUSS
I used to see white supremacy as the KKK, as an “over there” separate and apart from the day-to-day world that we inhabit. But now, I see it as the framework for what we live in, that the culture of white supremacy is the underpinning of everything. Once I saw that, I couldn’t unsee it. It changed the way I look at the world, and think about it every day. I’m honored to have gone through the work with the Del Shakes family.
For anybody working through the material – it’s incredibly worth the time and emotional energy.
S. TODD TOWNSEND
The takeaway, the value of this think tank, is the essential necessity of the difficult conversation. It’s important. As much as we want to avoid it, the power of difficult conversation has created allies. It’s affirming to sit in an audience that is multicultural, yet predominantly white, and hear value placed on the learning. As a black man, it’s a reminder that growth is possible. It’s not an impossibility.
For anyone starting this work, realize the power we have over prejudice – the value in general of humanity. We are the most valuable gem in the universe. Our dilemma is that we don’t value one another. We should embrace a curiosity of distinctions as opposed to a knee jerk hatred of what’s different.
CASSIE ALEXANDER
When I first read the #WeSeeYou White American Theatre demands in 2020, many of the concepts were new to me, and I found the list overwhelming. I thought,” I don’t know how to make the world a better place.” It felt utterly impossible. When we re-read those demands as part of this process, I was able to acknowledge that I’ve learned so much more about these topics and terminology. I am able to detect micro-aggressions and more attuned to the prevalence of white supremacy, etc. I now read the document differently and can consider more deeply the changes that must be made to meet the demands.
So, I’d recommend continuing to revisit the materials, because you keep learning and re-learning.
GEORGE WATSON
I’ve been around. My first diversity training was two decades ago. The process keeps going, from diversity to equity to inclusion and now to antiracism. It continues to evolve. It needs to be a continual process. This has been a deep experience. We invested a lot of time in it. The cohort that has gone through it together has made it worthwhile – and it has personally moved me more than any flash-and-dash one-day workshops.
The amount of time we spent together over eight months is a lot. For people considering this work, if you want to move an organization, you have to invest the time to do the work.
MATT SULLIVAN
Unconscious bias was the section I thought I knew something about, and then I realized that I didn’t.
Advice: In hindsight, I see how important is was to go through this process with a diverse group. At the onset, I definitely would have been more comfortable with a group of middle aged white guys (like me). I felt I might be embarrassed to admit certain things in a mixed group, and I wouldn’t be as authentic about my deficiencies. But the group dynamic not only allowed us all to express things that we may be embarrassed about, but it also helped us find common ground in places where I wasn’t expecting it. It’s important to hear people wrestling with those things, and in all things, that diversity made the experience richer.
MELODY MARSHALL
I was also impressed with how open and candid the conversations were. I have done a lot of training around EDI. A lot of the time it comes off as moderator talking and people saying they understand…and this hasn’t been that.
So, if you do this work, contribute to conversations and listen to others.
GREG ROBLETO
Ignorance. There were so many things I wasn’t aware that I wasn’t aware of. That’s the biggest takeaway for me. A recent event was important to because I caught it [racial harm being committed]…and was allowed to feel it as my own. Overall, there is an awareness that there is room to grow.
Where it goes next? Being able to apply it. But you have to know something before you can apply it.
DAVID STRADLEY
I gravitate towards solutions. Which can sometimes not be as productive – wanting to jump right to problem-solving, rather than really listening to the problem. But, I did appreciate the times in the material where concrete action to help address racism was shared. The section on unconscious bias was overwhelming, creating a feeling that there is nothing we can do because we will always have these ingrained biases. But then there were some tactics shared – from finding ways to pause before you take action, working in moments of mindfulness to disrupt unconscious reactions, purposefully reading and viewing books and media featuring, written by, and made by people of color. These are all things that can start disrupting bias.
For people who may start working through this material, be aware of when you get defensive confronting some of the articles and videos. Be aware of when you want to discount the point of view of what is being presented. If you reflect and look inward, those moments will probably tell you something about yourself. Move past the defensiveness, and really consider the authentic experience represented in that material that led the person to write or share it.
“Because it’s Racial”
By S. Todd Townsend
Because its Racial
There are spacial limitations
To authentic conversations
But Del Shakes Mandates
Anti-Racist Deliberations
Out of Love & Admiration
For All Humanity
….. w/o Limitation
For sure, and at least
That’s the effort
The Policy says so too
To lure & Tame the Beast
The policy is what we Do
Board Members strong
Ordinair to the Elite
Personal Accountability
No shame, We take the Heat
Told our Stories
Shared our hearts
Regular Scheduled Meeting
We March….
To the Anti-Racist Beat
Because its Racial
There are spacial limitations
To authentic conversations
But Del Shakes Mandates
Anti-Racist Deliberations
Out of Love & Admiration
For All Humanity
….. w/o Limitation
