Local 706 - The Artisan

THE ARTISAN SUMMER 2021 • 11 GUILD NEWS Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity GUILD NEWS GUILD NEWS In January 2020, IATSE Local 706 President Julie Socash was at the GEB (General Executive Board) Meeting where they talked about education and courses that were being offered through the IATSE Training Trust on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity. The course was to educate the lead- ers in our locals on how best to serve their members and learn how to be more diverse, equitable, and inclu- sive. Especially wanted and needed for make-up artists, hair stylists, and barbers working in the entertainment industry. President Socash invited hair stylist Carla Farmer to participate in this invaluable edu- cational opportunity. The course was to take place in April 2020 but on March 11, the WHO (World Health Organization) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. As the world started to shut down, the focus soon shifted to the need of forming a Local 706 Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Committee. That need became even greater with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN, on May 25, 2020. The Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Committee held its first meeting and elected Carla Farmer (hair stylist), Angie Wells (make-up artist), and Geneva Nash Morgan (make-up artist) as Co-chairs, and the committee met several times via Zoom to organize and plan what topics the committee was going to prepare and present to its members. It was decided that three different subjects would be presented: 1) Inclusive Excellence Toward Sustainable Solidarity 2) LGBTQIA+ 3) Dismantling Ageism and Weight Bias/Stigma Then on March 16, 2021, an urgent need for another Town Hall Webinar surfaced after an uprise of crimes against Asian communities escalated by the mass shooting of spa/massage parlors in Atlanta, GA. Eight (8) people were killed that day, six (6) of whom were Asian women. Then a fourth webinar was added … 4) We Are Asian. #stopthehate The Time Is Now. The first Town Hall Webinar, Inclusive Excellence Toward Sustainable Solidarity, was held in August 2020 and was attend- ed by more than 200 members. The one-day, two-part webinar was facilitated by Dr. Eva Graham, notable Cal Arts diversity offi- cer, and the following panelists: Melissa Shepard Williams, clini- cian at Cal Arts; Rhande Dorn, marriage & family therapist; and Dr. Makisha Lawrence, counselor & wellness therapist. Our members asked dozen of questions and many talked openly and frankly (including personal experiences), pertaining to the racial tension among the members in our Local. The second portion of the webinar, also lead by Dr. Eva Graham, was a panel discussion. Panelists included Gina Torres, actress, producer; Nnamdi Asomugha, actor; and Lecia Brooks, educator from Southern Poverty Law. (Ms. Brooks lead an in-depth discussion regarding historical racism in the United States and how racism has affected artists in the entertain- ment/film industry.) In November 2020, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Committee (under the arrangements by Carla Farmer, Geneva Nash Morgan, and Angie Wells) was proud to present another section to the previous webinar. Once again, hosted by Dr, Eva Graham, and adding Julie Socash, the webinar introduced more than 20 pages' worth of vocabulary terms and definitions that lend reference to the field of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. This portion of the webinar was to familiarize our members with terminology that would better equip them to be more efficient and effective when communicating and understanding each other in the future. The lines of communication need to be wide open if we are to see progress in the future. The next webinar was the LGBTQIA+ Diversity Town Hall and was chaired by David Williams (make-up artist), with Deja Smith (make-up artist) and Tym Buacharern (make-up artist), backed by IngleDodd Media's Behind the Slate and Make Up For Ever) and was brought to the membership in December 2020 via Zoom. The following panelists: Valerie Spencer, mental health praci- tioner, interfaith minister, actor; Sam Feder, direc- tor; Beck Bailey, direc- tor, Workplace Equity Program, Human Rights Campaign Foundation; Paul Kernohan, Vice President, Human Resources, Make Up For Ever; and David Williams, moderator, IATSE Local 706 make-up artist; came together to… • Discuss current terminology and language Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity by Karen Westerfield and Tym Buacharern

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