I studied the fourth option, and begun with 'The Danger of A Single Story". Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks about reading books as a child with white characters and then writing her own stories along the lines of the stories she read, even though she didn't relate to them. It reminded me of diversity in casting, especially casting people of color or LGBTQ+ members as side characters, often not getting their own story. This has started to change in the film community however it still needs to keep changing. After finishing her Ted Talk, I continued on to Sarah Jones, "One Woman, Many People". Each character was so different, with different backgrounds and stories but all had similar things to say, pointing out that we are all human, with a set of similar truths, even though we are all so different. Anna Deveare Smith is an absolute legend, and like her, I believe theater and activism are completely tied, and everyone must have a seat at the table. We must all be equal or none of us are free. I loved what the story she told with the four lines 'Walk on water, walk on a leaf, hardest of all is walk in grief'. The interviewer said that she had the greatest respect in the theater, which is silence, which I also really liked. I think the overall theme is to keep an eye open for possibilities to diversify, remember privilege, and keep striving to create and change.
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