November 22, 2020—Last month, the Newark Arts Festival boldly took the leap to the virtual platform, holding its annual three-day event online. It was a major undertaking, and I believe the readers of Arts & Culture Connections can benefit from some of the behind-the-scenes insights Marcy DePina has to share. Marcy is the President of the Board of Directors for Newark Arts, and rolled up … Continue reading The Newark Arts Festival’s Bold Leap to Virtual Platform

I am sure many of you have heard by now about the recent White House memo to cancel diversity training that was issued to all federal agencies throughout the United States. This is likely one of the most blatant acts of systemic or institutional racism that we have ever witnessed; a blatant attempt to distort and dismiss the legitimate demonstrations and calls for equity and … Continue reading Resisting the White House Efforts to Dismantle Federal ED&I Programs

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s PSEG True Diversity Film Series recently sponsored a virtual panel of all white advocates titled, “White Fragility—A Conversation About Allyship,” which I believe will be of interest to the readers of Arts & Culture Connections. A week prior to the event, participants were encouraged to watch a video about the book, White Fragility, read by author Robin DiAngelo. More … Continue reading NJPAC Panel discusses Role of “White Allyship”

HARLEM WEEK 2020 has ended and we had a global audience of thousands! I personally would like to thank the readers of Arts & Culture Connections for your participation and support! Every year, a very important component of HARLEM WEEK is the panels, conferences and summits. Despite this year’s virtual platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we still were able to offer this important programming—an … Continue reading HARLEM WEEK 2020: Broadway Careers Panel Tackles Bias in the Industry

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 … Continue reading Acknowledging White Supremacist Tendencies; Taking Steps to Change

I am honored and excited to introduce you to another Champion of the Arts, Terri Lee Freeman, who is building bridges between history and the present through her work as president of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN. Since 2014, Ms. Freeman has been responsible for providing strategic leadership to further the museum’s mission as an educational and cultural institution. Over the last … Continue reading Champion of the Arts: Terri Lee Freeman and the National Civil Rights Museum

  Black Panther, the record-breaking Marvel comic-themed movie has changed the way People of Color go to the movies. It’s that simple. The pride, the respect, and the dignity projected in every frame of this film and promoted by the film-making team has made it a game-changer. I’m not just talking about the economic perspective—although Black Panther’s global receipts have exceeded a mind-bending $500 million … Continue reading WAKANDA: A CASE STUDY FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

   Thank you so much for reading, supporting, following and commenting on my Arts and Culture Connection blog. I have been encouraged and empowered by your feedback. Let’s continue our exchange in the New Year.  As my holiday gift to all of you, I am sharing an excerpt from the book Hope in a Dark Time–Reflections on Humanity’s Future. One of the best essays is … Continue reading Our Power for Peace: Happy Holidays from Donna Walker-Kuhne