DIVERSITY STATEMENT
As an Artist and an Educator, I am aware that I belong in a diverse society, one where individuals identify themselves based on a myriad of factors. Students in particular are aware of this, and as their teacher, it is my pleasure to inspire them to achieve skills, experience, knowledge, and empathy in the classroom and throughout their lives.
There are plenty of students who grace my classrooms with a concept of their self-identity, be it based on race (BIPOC), gender, or sexuality (LGBTQ). It is necessary to realize that their identities do not survive in a box with a prescribed definition: they live on a spectrum. Our youth face issues with systemic oppression and strive to achieve an inclusive role within our lives.
There is also a growing number of University-aged students who are persuing a higher education as the first to do so in their families, many of whom identify as BIPOC, students of color. Roadblocks to these students have been ingrained in our country's history for centuries, and it is necessary as educators to be a part of a system that encourages and supports collegial, collaborative, and equitable support and care, regardless of how we identify ourselves.
The best practice I've discovered over the years is to listen. Encourage honest conversations, empathize with individual's experiences, and engage in mentoring and instruction to help them visualize through their artwork what defines them in a meaningful way.
I remember visiting the Whitney Museum in 2017 for the Biennial Exhibition, where Dana Schutz painting, Open Casket, was included in the show. There was great controversy surrounding this inclusion because the painting, portraying Emmit Till in his casket, was created by an artist who is not a woman of color. There were silent protests, where men of color stood in front of the painting wearing shirts that said, "Black Death Spectacle." I looked at the painting, then looked at the protestor standing in front of it. It made me realize that despite my attitude of inclusion and equality, there are many factors that I didn't fully grasp, until that moment.
This country has an evil history that we must come to terms with, but we also need to maintain a consistent practice of learning, particularly in our classrooms, for our students, and for our future.
