Diversity & Inclusion Blog

To many Indigenous and Native Peoples in the North, Central and South Americas, the celebration of Columbus Day is painful. Columbus was responsible for what some consider to be the catalyst of the centuries of genocide, colonization, and slavery committed by European colonizers. Shifting the narrative to centering Indigenous and Native American history is a step towards repairing relations between the United States and sovereign Indigenous and Native American nations and tribes.

On Monday, September 27 Equity’s Diversity & Inclusion Department hosted an EEOC dialogue for Hispanic Heritage Month entitled “Poder Y Justicia: Latinamericanos, Activism & Theatre Artistry.”

On Wednesday, July 28, the Diversity & Inclusion Department of Actors' Equity Association provided members and update on its Diversity & Inclusion Retrofit of the organization.

On June 30, Equity’s diversity and inclusion department hosted “Let’s Talk Hair,” a discussion of the context of the April resolution passed by council to include hair texture as a protected characteristic in union contracts.

On Thursday, June 3, Equity’s Equal Employment Opportunity Committee held its biannual dialogue on race, with theatre artist and activist Kaja Dunn.

On Wednesday, June 2, Equity’s Equal Employment Opportunity Committee held its biannual dialogue on disability, featuring artist and inclusion expert Claudia Alick.

On Monday, May 24, Actors’ Equity Association’s diversity and inclusion department hosted an event for AAPI Heritage Month entitled Claiming Our Power: AAPI Agency, Representation and Justice in the Workplace.

On Tuesday, May 18th, 2021 at an Equity Council Meeting, council approved the “Open Access” resolution to enact a series of recommendations to eliminate barriers to Equity membership, making our union stronger and more inclusive. Central Principal Councilor and Open Access Action Team Leader Bear Bellinger, who helped develop those recommendations, shares his experience with the process of creating this ground-breaking change.

On Friday, April 23rd, 2021, at an Equity Special Council Meeting, council approved the “Hair Texture as a Protected Characteristic” resolution, which mandates Equity to bring to all negotiations going forward, the addition of “hair texture” to the protected characteristics in the anti-discrimination clause.

Following the recommendation of Equity's first national convention, council adopted amendments to their Black Lives Matter resolution of June, 2020.