Research Symposium

BIO

Hometown: Miramar, Florida
Interests: medicine, psychology, creative writing (poetry), and art (drawing, sketching, painting)
Career Goal(s): becoming a neurosurgeon and developing skills needed for my future occupation and life.

The Black Artists' Way: Topics in Black Theatre and Performance

Abstract

Post George Floyd, the world recognized that there are major social, political, and economic issues concerning racial diversity, equity and inclusion in the United States. Corporations, educational institutions and families desperately searched for ways to close the identified gap in racial equity. Though there have been great gains, this problem persists. In 2018, a Black Theater and Performance Group, the Essential Theatrical Associates, created a children’s program named Talk Dat Talk; which implemented artistic ways of teaching children about the folklore of enslaved people. During the abrupt emergence of Coronavirus, ETA decided to present the program virtually; in turn, it became well-known and used to inform public school students about African storytelling and increase diversity in classrooms (Selmore, 2022). The success of this virtual experience has inspired the creation of The Black Artists’ Way, a series of online videos produced to educate students on significant Black women in Black Theater and Performance. The six women researched were Toni Morrison, Billie Holiday, Lorraine Hansberry, Dorothy Dandridge, Zora Neale Hurston, and Nina Simone. This project presents research on the works, lives, and influence of these six women. The goal of this virtual series is to increase equity and diversity in classrooms, give teachers the tools necessary to create impactful lesson plans, and enhance the knowledge students have about African Americans. Through the creation of this online video series, the information will be accessed by a variety of students and educators—from middle schools to universities.

Keywords: educational, black theatre, art