 The United States is approaching its 250th anniversary. Most of that time encompassed legal slavery and Jim Crow Laws (including lynchings and race wars), legal segregation, Native American genocide and displacement (“The Trail of Tears:), immigration exclusion, the suppression of women’s rights, and child labor, among many other exclusionary and unjust practices. Many have argued that this systematic and institutional history of exclusion and oppression has been undergirded by white supremacy or more broadly by what the late bell hooks called “White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy”(Killing Rage, Ending Racism: 1995) a framework for better understanding the intersectionality of these oppressive forces and how they implicate all Americans—including black people. Legal challenges to violent, exclusionary, and unfair practices led to various acts by Congress in 1963, 1964 and 1965 (with the Vietnam war and the murder of civil rights leaders looming in the background). They Include: The Equal Pay Act (1963)The Equal Pay Act is a United States labor law amending the Fair Labor Standards Act, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex. (read more) The Civil Rights Act (1964)Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation on the grounds of race, religion or national origin was banned at all places of public accommodation, including courthouses, parks, restaurants, theaters, sports arenas and hotels. No longer could Black people and other minorities be denied service simply based on the color of their skin. (read more) The Nationality and Immigration Act (1965)A federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The law abolished the National Origins Formula, which had been the basis of U.S. Immigration Policy since the 1920s. The act formally removed defacto discrimination against Southern and Eastern Europeans as well as Asians, in addition to other non-Western and Northern European ethnicities from the immigration policy of the United States. (read more). Voting Rights Act (1965)This act was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. (read more) The Older Americans Act (1965)The first federal level initiative aimed at providing comprehensive services for older adults. It created the National Aging Network comprising the Administration on Aging on the federal level, State Units on Aging at the state level, and Area Agencies on Aging at the local level. (read more) The National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act (1965)AN ACT To provide for the establishment of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities to promote progress and scholarship in the humanities and the arts in the United States, and for other purposes. (Note: This Act is currently referenced by NEA and NEH to validate the inclusion of the arts, although DEI references have been removed). (read more) To learn more about civil rights laws and how they have impacted the workplace, read “Bending Towards Justice” published by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Collectively, these Acts demonstrated a need by the United States to remove discriminatory practices in order to create a more inclusive society. We are now witnessing a process by which these laws are systematically being overturned by our institutions of power (the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court) with the support of corporations and billionaires (what people are calling “State Capture”), with the active and passive consent of US citizens. DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)As demonstrated most recently by the current administration, DEI has become the most contentious topic within American society (although it has its antecedence in the Ronald Reagan administration). While these efforts have led to the promotion of equality for women in the workplace, preference for the hiring of veterans, and support and provisions for those with disabilities, the most contentious has been “Affirmative Action,” and issues related to race and racism. This topic has not only divided political parties, but the workforce, and even families across the United States. Most recently, these issues have been further amplified by heightened discrimination against the LGBTQ community and anti-immigration, creating a climate of fear, intimidation, and exclusion. For example, reports indicate that undocumented immigrants are being contained in Guantanamo Bay. Major media apparatuses have capitulated to these developments, placing constraints on public discourse, and limiting access to information and decision-making that impacts all Americans. This brings us to an important and urgent question: Where do we go from here?
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Duncanson Artist-in-Residence (2016)As Director of Education at the Taft Museum of Art, i organized the annual Robert S. Duncanson Artist-in-Residence program. During that time, I researched the history of the program and produced a video documentary celebrating the 30th anniversary. Carla CookThe year of the 30th anniversary featured jazz vocalist Carla Cook whose contributions that year were outstanding. The two-week residency reached over a thousand participants, encompassing elementary, middle, and high school schools; colleges and universities; community organizations and churhes, and other independent artists and performers.  |
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