What Are You Going To Do? w/ Shawnna L. Williams

“The place where activism comes from is the same energy center as it is for your art.” - Diane Phelan, Untapped Storytellers, 2020

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Episode 10: Diane Phelan

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates, and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In our tenth episode, we interviewed Diane Phelan, an actor director, and activist based in New York City. As the founder of #RacismIsaVirus campaign and #UnapologeticallyAsian, both aimed to activate and empower Asian Americans while also redefining what it means to be American right now. Both orginzations have been featured in the NYTimes, Reuters, Asia Journal, and Next Shark. 

Diane has performed in lead roles on Broadway as well as national and international productions, most notably in School of Rock, West Side Story, and the King and I. Diane is also the founder for the Broadway Diversity Project. If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can catch her starring in the new film, Marry Harry!

For more information and to get in contact with Diane, please follow her on Instagram @dianicaphelan

During this episode, Diane and I talk about:

• Redefining what America looks like now to what America can look like in the future.
• Is there an opportunity for meaningful change through accountability to come out after this past formative year?
• Practicing using your voice.
• How the atrocious acts of racism and violence against Asian and Asian American persons in America is not new and has been solidly ingrained into the fabric of America.
• Can art be a solution in breaking the cycle of oppression?
• Her organizations #RacismIsAVirus and #UnapolgeticallyAsian.
• What Diane does in order to fuel her energy center for activism and artistry & how to sustain both practices.
• And so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• Diane Phelan
• Me So Hapa
• Actors' Equity Association
• Where Elephants Weep
• #RacismIsaVirus
• #UnapologeticallyAsian
• Broadway Diversity Project
• Marry Harry
• Scott Rudin - The Hollywood Reporter Article
• Stop AAPI Hate
• Asian American Legal Defense Fund
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Episode Transcript

In each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible, and antiracist future. In honor of Diane, she has chosen Stop AAPI Hate. Stop AAPI Hate is an organization that is a reporting center that tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

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The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, edited by Andrew Alcaraz, and Project + Community Managed by Maricela Juarez. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

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Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

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This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | www.maricelajuarez.com | IG @remarkablymari 

“And what an amazing compounding effect that has, right? The work that one person does, has the opportunity to spread to even if it's five people, and then those five people might in turn, take that and spread to five more, and things that it can sometimes feel like minute or minuscule efforts that we're putting out into this world, we can never know the ripple effect that that might have.” -  Taylor Ybarra, Episode 9, Antiracist Artist Podcast

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Episode 9: Season 1 Recap with the AAP Team

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates, and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In our ninth episode, we did something special and interviewed our own team members at the Antiracist Artist Podcast, Andrew Alcaraz (he/him) our Podcast Editor and Maricela Juarez (she/her) our Project + Community Manager. 

Andrew Alcaraz (he/him) is a performer, voice teacher, aviation mentor, and international flight attendant. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and had the honor of working with many regional theaters including American Conservatory Theater, CenterRep and Contra Costa Musical Theatre. Andrew attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where he received a BFA in Musical Theatre. During college, Andrew discovered his passion for caring for others on life's journey which led him to find his passion in aviation. After graduating, he performed with various music production groups and began flying for one of the world's largest airlines. 

Maricela Juarez (she/her) is a bilingual marketing professional with years of project management experience helping people and businesses grow. As a project manager, she has worked in a variety of spaces such as launching three separate podcasts, helping companies expand their business into the U.S., navigating marketing in the legal space, helped launch a nonprofit, @FurloughNetwork, to help those figure out their next step after being furloughed, and manage a multimillion-dollar company budget. Currently, Mari is working with the Antiracist Artist Podcast by facilitating social media engagement, editing/writing copy for the episode's show notes and transcriptions, and managing the “behind the scenes” communications! 

Join us as we recap our first season!

During this episode, Andrew, Maricela, and I talk about:

• Season One numbers:
  • The # of episodes & guests.
  • How many downloads around the world?
  • Workshops completed.
  • Our $ donations to non-profit organizations and mutual aid funds.
• We answer some of the core questions we ask all of our guests.
• Big takeaways from the first season to understand how artistry may be able to play a role in dismantling oppression.
• The use of language in artistry.
• Impressionable quotes from our guests.
• What we personally are/aren’t going to accept as we move towards a post-COVID or COVID-recovering era and how we actuate change.
• Lessons that we will take with us moving forward.
• & so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• 
   
• HowlRound
• Latinx Theatre Commons
• @FemaleCollective 
• @shestepsupphilly
• @civilrightsorg
• @phillybailout
• @diversifyyournarrative

Episode Transcript

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

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The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, edited by Andrew Alcaraz, and Project + Community Managed by Maricela Juarez. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

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Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

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This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | 

www.maricelajuarez.com

 | IG @remarkablymari

“It's about destroying the boundaries that would have kept us from doing work together. This is language barrier..” -  María Calderón, Episode Eight, Antiracist Artist Podcast

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Episode 8: Stephanie Cleghorn Jasso + María Calderón

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates, and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In our eighth episode, we are joined by Stephanie Cleghorn Jasso (she/her) and María Calderón (she/her/hers) who are a part of Public Works Dallas (PWD), an organization dedicated to create ambitious works of participatory theater through long term partnerships citywide.

Stephanie Cleghorn Jasso (she/her) is the Associate Director of Public Works Dallas at Dallas Theater Center. She is familiar with working in many different roles in the theater industry including actor, director, teaching artist, producer, and arts administrator.  Stephanie has been involved in the DFW theater community for over 10 years. Her work with Public Works Dallas is her true calling and she is honored to be a member of such an incredible family.

María Calderón (she/her/hers), twenty-four and Mexican, has a BFA in Theatre from Southern Methodist University (SMU). Two of her short plays have been produced, in Mexico and in Los Angeles, CA. She has experience as a Stage Manager at SMU and acting experience. She has worked in Public Works Dallas since her Freshman year and is excited to share the virtual space with "todos ustedes!" 

During this episode, Stephanie, María, and I talk about:

• What antiracism means,  how it relates to their artistry, and the social responsibility it may have in their art and in themselves.
• Their work within theatrical institutions intersects with partnering with organizations outside of the arts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
• Operating in a physical space where the population is heavily diverse with Spanish speakers and the efforts they put in to make sure PWD’s work is as inclusive as it can be not only to Spanish speakers but to all non-English speakers.
• The workshops PWD offers and who it’s marketed towards.
• How did their experience and history lead to what they are currently doing now.
• What are they doing as we approach a new normal and what will they accept or not accept from our previous normal (pre-COVID19).
• And so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• Public Works Dallas
• The Dallas Theater Center
• Aspire
• Bachman Lake Together Family Center
• City of Dallas Beckley Saner Recreation Center
• City of Dallas Janie C. Turner Recreation Center 
• Jubilee Park and Community Center
• Seattle Rep
• Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS)
• Reading Community 

Episode Transcript

In each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible, and antiracist future. In honor of Stephanie Gleghorn Jasso, she has chosen Jubilee Park and Community Center which serves as a catalyst for revitalization in Southeast Dallas, with an emphasis on childhood and adult education. In honor of María Calderón, she chose Bachman Lake Together Family Center where they unite the community to give Bachman Lake children a strong foundation for the first five years so they can thrive in school and life.

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

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The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, edited by Andrew Alcaraz, and Project + Community Managed by Maricela Juarez. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

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Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

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This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | www.maricelajuarez.com | IG @remarkablymari 

“And I think the reason that I feel that way today is that, you know, like, everything that's intended to circulate in the public sphere, I think, has a social responsibility. Especially art. And I think, yeah, I think that's because of what I see is like, the power and the potential of art, not, it doesn't mean that like art in and of itself is overly like political or designed to provoke or be provocative. But I do think that, like, art has this superpower, you know, to really, like, initiate, but then also advanced conversations.” - Nico Wheadon, Antiracist Artist Podcast, Season 1 Episode 7

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Episode 7: Nico Wheadon

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates, and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In our seventh episode, Nico Wheadon (she/her/hers)! She is an accomplished independent art advisor, curator, educator, and writer. As the founder and principal of bldg fund LLC, she created an innovation platform for BIPOC artists, entrepreneurs, and neighbors. Nico currently serves on the Board of Governors at the National Academy of Design, and the Advisory Board for the Lubin School of Business. She is also keeping busy as an adjunct assistant professor at Brown University, Barnard College, and Hartford Art School, she has also guest lectured internationally on topics including: the future of museums; art and entrepreneurship; navigating risk in the nonprofit industrial complex, and building artist-led institutions. In 2020, she was appointed as a Guide at The Institute of Possibility. 

Nico’s first manuscript—On Museum Citizenship: A Toolkit for Radical Art Pedagogy, Practice & Participation—is slated for publication in Spring 2021. The book brings together over forty pioneering voices from the field to reflect on canon-shifting practice currently taking place within, beyond, and through the museum space. 

To find out more about Nico and to contact her, please send Nico a reach out to her via her website here.

During this episode, Nico and I talk about:

• How she personally defines antiracist and how it is incorporated into her own work.
• Navigating both within and without organizations in the social justice space.
• Everything that is circulating in a public sphere has a social responsibility, especially art.
• The social contract of facilitating the community connection.
• Using her platform and seat to redirect resources to artists of color.
• Working with artists in order to build a platform that ends up building a platform for social justice because of the artists’ work is about social injustice.
• Defining advocate vs activist.
• Building a community engagement department within the Studio Museum in Harlem, NY.
• Working with the community in order to make work not colonizing and a one-sided transaction but an honest conversation and listening to the community that you are in.
• How she learns by pushing against things.
• What the bldg fund LLC is.
• What her book is about (On Museum Citizenship: A Toolkit for Radical Art Pedagogy, Practice & Participation) and where to find it.
• And so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• Nico Wheadon
• bldg fund LLC
• Studio Museum
• The Black School
• NXT HVN
• American Alliance of Museums
• 1Hood Media
• Antiracist Artist Podcast’s March Workshop
• Reading Community 

Episode Transcript

In each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible, and antiracist future. In honor of Nico, she has chosen 1Hood Media. 1Hood Media is a collective of socially conscious artist and activists who are utilizing art in order to raise awareness and seeking to build liberated communities through arts, education, and social justice.

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

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The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, edited by Andrew Alcaraz, and Project + Community Managed by Maricela Juarez. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

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Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

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This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | www.maricelajuarez.com | IG @remarkablymari 

“Through everything I endured, the one solid takeaway I received from my time at my first program is my purpose in this industry. My time as a doe-eyed California girl with Broadway dreams had come to a close, and a new mission was born – not giving up my dreams as a performer, but making sure that the work I do serves a higher cause in lifting people of color in this industry.” - Cindy Tsai, ONE YEAR LATER – Transferring Musical Theatre Programs Due to Racial Trauma, March 26, 2019

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Episode 6: Cindy Tsai 

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates, and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In our sixth episode, we are joined by Cindy Tsai (she/her)  who is a performer, producer, creator, and advocate. She is a first-generation Taiwanese and Chinese-American woman who has always loved theater and creating. Cindy is currently attending Pace University in New York City, on her way to receiving her B.F.A. in Musical Theatre & Minor in Critical Race and Ethnicities. One main value Cindy has as a theatre artist is de-centering whiteness in storytelling and centering BIPOC voices and experiences. The work she does is in an effort to bring authentic visibility, recognition, and celebration to BIPOC communities. Storytelling should include, value, and celebrate people of different colors, genders, sexualities, sizes, abilities, and identities.

To get in contact with Cindy, please send her a DM on her Instagram page @cindyctsai

During this episode, Cindy and I talk about:

• Being an Asian identifying actor.
• Manifesting change to dismantle systems of oppression and white supremacy while continuously finding new ways to improve the conditions of the cause.
• How Cindy personally sustains and maintains her momentum when pushing for instilled principles of antiracism and equity.
• Using the intersection of her studies of studying for her BFA in musical theater while simultaneously receiving a minor in critical race and ethnicities. 
• Cultivating spaces for the BIPOC community in the theater.
• The API community/identity and how they can uplift their own community and other BIPOC communities but also understanding when to step forward and backward during social injustice issues when it comes to communities outside of their own.
• What Broadway For Racial Justice does for the BIPOC Broadway community.
• Returning to the theater stage and what it should look like as we move toward justice and liberation for all.

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• ZAPI Artists
• Performing Arts Programs Fighting Against Institutionalized Racism & Ways to Support
• Broadway For Racial Justice
• The Nuances of Racism in Theatre School by Cindy Tsai
• This is Our Hour: Under Our Own Pen
• See Our Truths
• Afect Change
• Broadway Sinfonietta
• Community Workshop: Looking Back to Steer Forward: History Fueling Action w/ Amara Brady 
• Black Womxn Exhale
• Reading Community 

Episode Transcript

In each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible, and antiracist future. In honor of Cindy, she has chosen See Our Truths. See Our Truths was created to share individual and collective truths for the purposes of building community, healing through connection, and dismantling oppression in all of its forms. You can donate as well and learn more about their work on Instagram @seeourtruths.

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

__________________________________

The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, edited by Andrew Alcaraz, and Project + Community Managed by Maricela Juarez. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

_________________________________________________

Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

_______

This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | 

www.maricelajuarez.com

 | IG @remarkablymari

“Truthfully, I don't think we have much of a choice anymore but to make antiracist artistry a priority in our lives. The mental health of so many people depends on our ability to shift hearts and minds that will lead us all to safer environments for Black and Brown people.” - Nicole Johnson, 2021

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Join us as Amara Brady leads us in February's Community Workshop, Looking Back to Steer Forward: History Fueling Action on Saturday, February 20 at 3 PM EST on Zoom. Click here to reserve your spot!

Join us for our inaugural Reading Community discussion as we dive into Eddie Glaude Jr.'s Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own on Thursday February 25 at 8 PM EST on Zoom. This event is free, and you can sign up at this link. 

Interested in gaining exclusive access to the podcast and supporting this work of promoting an antiracist, equitable, and inclusive future? Join us on Patreon here!

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Episode 5: Nicole Johnson

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates, and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

Our fifth episode of the Antiracist Artist Podcast, we are joined by Nicole Johnson. Nicole is the Founder of the Javanna Productions M.O.V.E. (Motivation Opportunity Vision Entertainment)and the EDIFY Dismantling Systemic Oppression Program. Javanna Productions M.O.V.E. is a non-profit arts and education company with upwards of 650 members of all ages in 16 states and nine different countries. Javanna Productions provides community leaders with the resources, funding and platforms that are needed to produce socially responsible artistic films, shows, galleries, programs, events and fundraisers.  EDIFY is a program that works with institutions to shift culture towards anti-racism and empathy for vulnerable communities.

You can find Nicole and her work online at proudtobeamover.com and on IG @proud2bamover @nicolejmove.

During this episode, Nicole and I talk about:

• Forging your own path by continuing her education on her term and free guiding principles.
• There are no wrong decisions, there are only choices with learning points.
• Nicole creating a 501c3 organization while still in high school and where the need to create M.O.V.E. for Autism came from.
• Taking your feelings and using art as an empathetic bridge to produce something that could possibly be more beneficial to others.
• Creating Edify and how it was actually another iteration of her work that she started back in high school.
• Her 2014 TED Talk on double consciousness and what it means now in 2021.
• Taking care of yourself and mental health while balancing it with the need to show up for social injustice issues.
• And so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• Javanna Productions M.O.V.E.
• Edify
• Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Today by Eddie Glaude Jr.
• Nicole Johnson’s TED Talk
• Darkness Rising
• DBJ Comedy

Episode Transcript

In each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible, and antiracist future. In honor of Nicole, she has chosen

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

__________________________________

The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, edited by Andrew Alcaraz, and Project + Community Managed by Maricela Juarez. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

_________________________________________________

Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

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This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | www.maricelajuarez.com | IG @remarkablymari 

“An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times. I think that is true of painters, sculptors, poets, musicians. As far as I’m concerned, it’s their choice, but I CHOOSE to reflect the times and situations in which I find myself. ” - Nina Simone

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Episode 4: Shawnna Williams

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates, and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In the fourth episode of the Antiracist Artist Podcast, we are joined by Shawnna L. Williams she/her/hers, a full-time artist and a full-time business career woman. Based in Philadelphia, her art paints portraits that are inspired by resilience, misrepresented, and underrepresented groups of people in Arts and Media. Shawnna often depicts moments of solidarity and anti-racism, historical Black figures, and embodiments of self-love and self-reflection. Her work has been shown across Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and even internationally in Rome, Italy. Beyond her portraits, Shawnna intentionally chooses to bring to life and illustrate children’s books that are centered around diverse representation. To learn more about Shawnna and her work, please visit her website or follow her Instagram accounts @drawn2paint and @slw.portraits. 

During this episode, Shawnna and I talk about:

• When she first started creating art, it didn’t start off as making a statement but as time went on and injustices became even more clear it was a way to release some of her emotion into her pieces.
• How she balances having a full-time business career outside of the art world and being a full-fledged artist at the same time. 
• The value of D&I, affinity groups, and employee resource groups (ERGs). The safe spaces that they provide employees within an organization help companies retain and attract diverse talent.
• To see real change within a company it takes a leader willing to continuously make changes but also a group of brave individuals to point out that changes need to be made.
• And so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• SLW Portraits
• Tyler School of Art, Temple University 
• Urban Art Gallery
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• The Crown Act
• Black Theatre United
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• Sankofa Healing Studio
• Black Lives Matter
• African American Museum in Philadelphia

Episode Transcript

Each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible and antiracist future. In honor of Shawnna, she has chosen a terrific organization located in Philadelphia, PA, the Sankofa Healing Studio. Sankofa Healing Studio believes in: Addressing the negative impact of mass incarceration on overall mental health; Disrupting the criminalization of Black Girls in the education system; and Center the mental health and wellness of the Black Community using trauma-specific, integrative, and holistic pathways to healing.

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

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The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, edited by Andrew Alcaraz, and Project + Community Managed by Maricela Juarez. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

_________________________________________________

Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

_______

This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | www.maricelajuarez.com | IG @remarkablymari 

“Yes, art is inherently an expression and interpretation of a lived experience. Art is a form that is created, curated, or adapted by humans. So as a result, it is absolutely shaped by societal influences. The question for me is, does the artist comment on the world?” - Annie Lin, Antiracist Artist Podcast

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Episode 2: Emily Chew & Annie Lin

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In the third episode of the Antiracist Artist Podcast, we are joined by Annie Lin and Emily Chew,  two art facilitators, friends, and colleagues at the Yale-China Association (Yale-China). Yale-China is an organization that is bridging American and Chinese cultures through the creation of lasting, transformative partnerships and experience in the education, health, and arts spaces. Founded over 120 years ago, Yale-China believes that by developing a community of global citizens on both sides (American & Chinese) is crucial to building a prosperous,  healthy, and safe 21st century. 

Annie Lin is the Associate Director of the Arts Programs at Yale-China Association. She explores new methods of cross-disciplinary and intercutlural exchanges in China and the United States. Annie also manages the Yale-China Arts Fellowship, public programs in the arts, such as the art exhibit series and Lunarfest, and special exchange programs. Annie was a Yale-China Fellow based in Xiuning, Anhui. 

Emily Chew is the Senior Program Officer for Education and Arts at the Yale-China Association. Before joining Yale-China, Emily completed a year of service in New York City, through AmeriCorps, mentoring and tutoring middle school students. Previously, Emily participated in the Chinese Flagship Language Program and completed her Capstone year in China, including an internship at an LGBT non-profit in Beijing. 

During this episode, Emily, Annie, and I talk about:

• How we need to actively work against systems of oppression in order to combat racism and how art plays a role in doing so. 
• Does the artist comment on the world or is the artist a commentary by the world and the values?
• Increased overt racism toward Chinese persons as a major side effect of COVID-19.
• Yale-China Fellowship Program and the opportunity it presents to the fellows to explore how their art relates to people.
• The impact that Lunarfest and other events have had in New Haven’s community by sharing the art of fellows and partnerships built with organizations across New Haven
• And so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• Yale-China Association
• AmeriCorps
• Lunarfest
• L.E.A.P.
• Community MusicWorks
• Music, Service, and Society Class @ Yale University
• A Second U Foundation
• Unibody Fitness
• Ely Center of Contemporary Art
• International Festival of Arts and Ideas
• Arts Council of Greater New Haven
• Yale University Art Gallery
• Yale School of Nursing
• Yale School of Medicine and Public Health
• New Haven Pride Center
• Theater Mu
• Lauren Yee

Episode Transcript

Each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible and antiracist future. In honor of Annie and Emily have chosen a terrific organization located in New Haven, CT, the New Haven Pride Center. Dating back to 1993, the New Haven Pride Center provides educational, cultural, and social enrichment for the LGBTQ+ community, its allies, and members, to make a positive contribution to the entire community of Greater New Haven. 

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

__________________________________

The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, and edited by Andrew Alcaraz. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

_________________________________________________

Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

_______

This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | www.maricelajuarez.com | IG @remarkablymari 

“The task of the artist is determined always by the status and process and agenda of the community that it already serves. If you’re an artist who identifies with, who springs from, who is serviced by or drafted by a bourgeois capitalist class then that’s the kind of writing you do. Then your job is to maintain status quo, to celebrate exploitation or to guise it in some lovely, romantic way. That’s your job…” Toni Cade Bambara, interviewed by Kay Bonetti, 1982

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Episode 2: Amara Brady

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

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Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In this episode of the Antiracist Artist Podcast we spoke with Amara Brady (she/her/hers), a theater maker from Chigaco whose mission is to uplift Women of Color, especially Black women, and the underserved communities. Graduating from the University of Oklahoma class of 2017, she has built an impressive portfolio of work being showcased at The Drama League, The Dramatists Guild, Joe's Pub, and The Wow Cafe Theatre.

Amara wants to remind you to resist, check your privilege, and then give some space to Women of Color & Trans Folx. 

You can find Amara and her work at amarajanaebrady.com and on Instagram @bradynotthebunch 

During this episode, Amara and I talk about:

• The effects of anti-racism and how it permeates into every life aspect. From her own politics to her own desires and artistry.
• Understanding the separation of different artists’ works and how the pieces they create may or may not give a platform to social justice issues.
• How all the “-isms” are directly tied to each other like racism, classism, ableism, transphobia, etc.
• As an artist and person, Amara addresses social injustice and how art has always been the thing to mobilize and get people involved.
• Underrepresentation and the stereotyping of diverse people on stages.
• How success in combating racism is committing to a journey.
• Racism & COVID-19
• And so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• 'Skinny & White' Aren't Character Traits. In This Paper I'll Explain Why
• A Second U Foundation
• Unibody Fitness
• Jen Waldman Studios
• Asian American Performers Action Coalition
• Ring of Keys
• Episode Four of 'Skinny & White' Aren't Character Traits. In This Paper I'll Explain Why
• Black Womxn Exhale
• The Prosp(a)rity Project
• #BuyBackBlackDebt & Sonya Renee Taylor
• The Nap Ministry
• Aaron Phillip
• ¡Palante! NYC | Jackie Torres
• The Okra Project
• For The Gworls

Episode Transcript

Each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible and antiracist future. In honor of Amara Brady in this episode, we have donated to Black Womxn Exhale. You can donate as well and learn more about their work at blackwomxnexhale.com and on Instagram @blackwomxnexhale.

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

__________________________________

The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, and edited by Andrew Alcaraz. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

_________________________________________________

Get Social!

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | Facebook.com/AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

_______

This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | www.maricelajuarez.com | IG @remarkablymari

“If you want to be it, you have to see it.” Michael McElroy, 2019 Tony Awards Acceptance Speech

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Episode 1:  Michael McElroy

Welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast, a podcast for activists, advocates and allies working to make our communities equitable through artistry. Each episode we are joined in conversation by an artist or arts facilitator who has been paving the way, in hopes of learning from their expertise and experience. Through action and unity, we can create a better tomorrow today. Let’s go!

__________________________________

Hello and welcome to the Antiracist Artist Podcast. I’m your host, Taylor Ybarra, and I’m so glad to have you a part of the conversation. 

In this episode of the Antiracist Artist Podcast we have the opportunity for an in-depth conversation with Michael McElroy, Founder/Musical Director and Arranger for Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV) a multi-racial gospel choir comprised of Broadway performers. Michael has an impressive resume as an arranger, performer, Associate Arts Professor and Head of Vocal Performance in the New Studio on Broadway, and Director of the Office of Diversity Initiatives at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

During this episode, Michael and I talk about:

• How BIV was created out of the need to have a healing space for people of all walks of life to perform gospel music in order to give back to the community.
• Michael’s creation of a class entitled Roots to Rep, in order to host a space of learning about the lineage of musical forms, spanning from the beginnings of American slavery to modern day, in order to give artists the tools necessary to understand the origins of the musical cannon and what it was born out of.
• Through his position as the Director of the Office of Diversity Initiatives at New York University, he challenges the artistic space to not only be diverse in their students but also in the lessons, materials, and the teaching force.
• By being a founding member of the Black Theatre United (BTU), Michael helps to create an organization due to a direct need to shine the light on work which furthers humanity and which helps to create systems of empowerment for people of color, the disenfranchised, the marginalized.
• Michael’s definition of antiracisim and how it intersects with his own artistry.
• And so much more!

Resources & Organizations Mentioned:

• Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV)
• Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
• Covenant House New York
• Ronald McDonald House New York
• Jen Waldman Studio
• New Studio on Broadway
• Black Theatre United (BTU)
• Musicians United for Social Equity (MUSE)
• NYC Next
• A Moment for Broadway Performance

Episode Transcript 

Each episode, we invite our guests to choose an organization to uplift, one that is creating a meaningful impact toward a more equitable, inclusive, accessible and antiracist future. In honor of Michael in this episode, we have donated to NYCNext and MUSE. You can donate and learn more about each of these organizations via the links above.

This podcast is made with, by, and for those of us in this fight together, and I invite you to be a part of this podcast community with us. You can stay connected with us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or by emailing antiracistartist@gmail.com. Let us know why antiracist artistry is important to you, what questions you would like to dig into, and who you’d like to hear from in future episodes. 

__________________________________

The Antiracist Artist Podcast is hosted by Taylor Ybarra, produced by Subito Politico Productions, LLC, and edited by Andrew Alcaraz. 

To stay connected with the Antiracist Artist Podcast, please visit us at AntiracistArtist.com, on Instagram @antiracistartist, or via email at antiracistartist@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Our podcast is made possible with the support of folx like you. You can get exclusive content and access to the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/antiracistartist. 

This episode’s donation was made possible in part by the generosity of Jenny Hoofnagle.

Theme music features vocals by Esteban Suero, Forest VanDyke, Kennedy Kanagawa, Jamison, & MinJi Kim.

_________________________________________________

Get Social

Connect with us! | Instagram @antiracistartist | FaceBook @AAPcommunity | Twitter @AAPcommunity 

_______

This episode features the following artists/arts facilitators:

Esteban Suero | IG @estesuero / @theofficialeros

Forest VanDyke | IG - @forestvandyke

Kennedy Kanagawa | kennedykanagawa.com | IG @thisiskennedy

Jamison | www.courtneyjamison.com | IG @iamcourtneyjamison | TW @thecjamison

MinJi Kim | IG @minjilikesdogsandmusic

Maricela Juarez | www.maricelajuarez.com | IG @remarkablymari