Acknowledging White Supremacist Tendencies; Taking Steps to Change

A few months ago, I shared with the readers of Arts & Culture Connections an interview I conducted with Virginia (Ginny) Louloudes, Executive Director of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York(A.R.T./New York). Ginny discussed her journey leading members of the service and advocacyorganization for New York City’s 400-plus nonprofit theatres through Equity, Diversity and Inclusion(ED&I) initiatives. As she described the effort at that time: It has been challenging, important and necessary.

This past week, Ginny posted a provocatively-titled blog about the program, which was developed inconjunction with the Raben Group—“Yes, I Have White Supremacist Tendencies…and I Am Working toChange.” What stuck out most for me was how important it is to realize the long-term implications ofED&I work; the value of bringing in expertise. and the critical need for self-reflection throughout theprocess

As Ginny has demonstrated, and I firmly believe, the job for advancing ED&I efforts rests in the hands ofthe Executive Director, who becomes the catalyst for significant change to occur. Cheers Ginny andonward!

As always, please share your comments and feedback below. I look forward to engaging in dialogue withyou about this post.