The ACTRA Toronto Council and Diversity and Inclusion Committee are working together to develop an Anti-Black Racism work plan. We are committed to working within our union and across the industry to bring about real and lasting change.
Actions currently underway in 2020:
- Educate our Union
- We will develop a course on anti-racism.
- We will ensure the course is taken by our union leadership, made available to existing members, and added as required training for new ACTRA members.
- We will continue to encourage members to take the Respect on Set and review the course from an anti-oppression lens.
- Improve resources and supports
- We will create a webpage dedicated to anti-Black racism which includes information on ACTRA’s initiatives and support service for BIPOC members
- We will review existing ACTRA resources and identify gaps where we can improve supports for BIPOC members.
- Create and develop work opportunities
- We will work with Ontario Creates to promote our diverse membership. Diversity is our Strength.
- We will encourage diverse performers to update and upload their profile to diversity.ACTRAonline.ca.
- We will build on the work of Working the Scene in Colour by connecting Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) writers and BIPOC performers.
- We will support initiatives of Diversity and Inclusion Committee which include:
- Assisting BIPOC members to produce demo reels
- Working with the Voice Committee to develop skills and access to voice over work for BIPOC performers.
- Support and celebrate BIPOC creators and content
- We will continue to highlight industry professionals and production companies who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion through the Sandi Ross Awards and ACTRA Spotlight.
- We will continue to develop and grow partnerships with community and cultural film festivals including ReelWorld, imagineNATIVE, ReelAsian and the Regent Park Film Festival.
- Advocate for a more fair and just industry and society
- We will advocate with industry and government partners to increase work opportunities and representation of BIPOC performers
- We will support industry initiatives which support BIPOC creators to bring their stories to our screens.
- We will encourage and facilitate members on direct action, such as education, letter writing and donations.
How can I help as an ACTRA Member?
- Actions you can take for Racial Justice – A Working Document is a list of resources and actions put together by Toronto member Alice Snaden.
- Follow us on social media to get the latest updates. Show your support by participating in our events and amplifying our message — like, comment and share our posts.