Phase 3 #DramaTherapistsAgainstWhiteSupremacy

Brought to you by the Cultural Humility, Equity and Diversity Committee (CHEDC)

This campaign addresses the far reaching, all encompassing system of white supremacy and racism that exists in our governments, corporate and public workplaces, health systems and social services, prisons, schools, universities, therapy spaces, and public institutions. Racism exists in all social aspects of life, internalized within our communities, families, and within ourselves.

“When it comes to fighting against white supremacy, it’s not just what you stand for, it’s who you sit with. Conversations need to be happening in homes, at work, in schools, and in churches on equity, liberation, and how important it is to fight against hatred and bigotry when it shows itself.” - Janaya Khan, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto

Where are the places you can push back against prejudice and discrimination?

Below, you will find an incomplete list of ideas and actions intended to fight the system of white supremacy. Because oppressions are intersectional, some of these actions address cultural oppressions faced by other minority groups, including gender diverse and gender non-conforming people, LGBTQIA communities, religious minorities, as well as people who are targeted for their size, age, ability, socio-economic reality, and other forms of cultural oppression. This incomplete list requires your ideas, resources, and creativity.

This campaign will be carried out in 3 phases.

PHASE 1 (Complete)
1- Campaign Actions; 2- Cultural Humility & Clinical Work; 3- Intrapersonal Commitments; 4- Interpersonal Commitment

PHASE 2 (Complete):
5- Art; 6- NADTA Actions; 7- Advocacy; 8- Holding Power Accountable; 9- Financial Actions; 10- Legal Action.

PHASE 3:
11- Research; 12- For Professors/Educators & Supervisors; 13- For Parents/Caregivers

DIRECTIONS:
1- Fill in the demographic information below. All questions are optional.
2- Select actions that you are willing to commit to (you may already be engaging in these actions).
3- Identify actions that are not on this list to which you would like to commit.
4- Share additional resources to be posted on the CHEDC page of the NADTA website.
5- Access resources to support your commitments on the CHEDC page of the NADTA website.
6- Optional, join a #DramaTherapistsAgainstWhiteSupremacy Support/Accountability Group to support and learn from each others' experiences.

The NADTA CHEDC will share the aggregate results from this campaign with members.

Disclaimer:

We acknowledge that for many reasons depending on who we are, and our current and past experiences of discrimination, exclusion, and/or other forms of trauma, we hold different privileges and are exposed to different risks when we do this work. Please participate in this campaign in a way that makes sense to you.

Research shows that talking about cultural oppression can cause discomfort, fear, and defensiveness in dominant social groups (Sue & Constantine, 2007).

We acknowledge that these difficult feelings can make it challenging to remain connected to the material (Frederick, 1995, p. 89) and we invite everyone to try to notice what is happening in your body as you read through this campaign. We also acknowledge, that people of color and racialized minorities contend with racial oppression everyday. Research shows that racism causes chronic stress (Carter, 2007) and racial trauma (Bryant-Davis & Ocampo, 2006), and negatively impacts both physical and mental health (Sue, 2010). Police brutality, disproportionate incarceration rates, and other violence make racism a matter of life and death. Unjustly, peo

Please note that this data will not be used for publication.

For a full list of the resources for Phase 3, click here.

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
This information will be kept on a confidential NADTA server and it will help the CHEDC learn more about the cultural composition of the people participating in this campaign. It may also be used to support programming and outreach in the future.

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* Where do you currently live?

North America

Africa

Asia

Europe

South America

Other (please specify)

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* What is your professional status?

Professional Drama Therapist (with RDT)

Using Drama Therapy (without RDT)

Other Creative Arts Therapy Professional

Allied Mental Health Professional

Drama Therapy Student

Other

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* What is your age?

18-24 years old

25-34 years old

35-44 years old

45-54 years old

55-64 years old

65-74 years old

75+

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* How do you identify racially and ethnically?

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* Do you identify as a person of color or racialized minority?

Yes

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* Do you identify as a religious minority?

Yes

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* How would you describe your gender identity?

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* How would you describe your sexual orientation?

Section 11: RESEARCH

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* I commit to (select all that apply)...

A) I commit to learning more about existing drama therapy equity supporting research.

B) I commit to engaging in equity supporting research.

C) I commit to learning about the importance of social demographic data.

D) I commit to supporting the collection social demographic data at my organization/school/workplace.

I also commit to (add my own idea/s here). Please feel free to share resources to be considered for the campaign resource list on the NADTA website:

Section 12. PROFESSORS/EDUCATORS

Question Title

* I commit to (select all that apply)...

A) Review my syllabus for which voices or worldviews are privileged, and who I am leaving out.

B) Engage literature from authors of diverse cultural backgrounds.

C) Add a statement about cultural safety to my syllabi and other classroom material.

D) Engage students in discussions about current events and issues of white supremacy. I won’t wait for conversations to emerge from students.

E) Address sociopolitical traumas in my classrooms when they occur (mass violence, hate crimes, politicians’ microaggressions).

F) Teach about racism’s impact on mental health.

G) Check-in with students frequently to see how they are coping with different sources of cultural oppression.

H) Acknowledge students’ salient religious holidays and do not book important assignments and course events on students’ salient religious holidays

I also commit to (add my own idea/s here). Please feel free to share resources to be considered for the campaign resource list on the NADTA website:

Section 13. PARENTS & CAREGIVERS

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* I commit to (select all that apply)...

A) Talk to my kids about white supremacy.

B) Examine my children’s textbooks and the curricula at their schools to determine whether they are equitable, teach about diverse cultures, and histories of oppression, colonization, and slavery.

C) Examine the media my children consume and help them identify stereotypes and intolerance.

D) Model inclusive language and behaviour.

E) Introduce children to diverse cultures through literature.

F) Introduce children to gender diversity in literature.

I also commit to (add my own idea/s here). Please feel free to share resources to be considered for the campaign resource list on the NADTA website:

For a full list of the resources for Phase 3, click here.

FOR FURTHER RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOU WITH MANY OF THESE COMMITMENTS PLEASE VISIT THE CHEDC PAGE ON THE NADTA WEBSITE.

Thank you for taking the time to make our world a better, safer, and more just place.

By participating in this campaign you are standing with our members, clients, and communities who experience the trauma of racism and intersecting oppressions.

STAY TUNED FOR PHASE 3 OF THE CAMPAIGN. This phase will focus on:
-Research
-Commitments for Professors/Educators & Supervisors;
-Commitments for Parents & Caregivers

A special thank you to all the members who have shared content and editing support with this campaign. Please continue to share resources with us.

“To end racism, we must combat it everywhere it lives and thrives. We must confront it in ourselves, in our communities, and in our nation. No one person can do it all or do it alone, but we can all do things to help, and in doing so, work collectively to end racism” (Cole, 2018).

Thank you for completing the survey. Click Here to enter the raffle.

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* If you have feedback regarding Phase 3 (comments and suggestions are very welcome) please share it here. Alternatively, if you would like to reach out to the CHEDC directly please email diversity@nadta.org.