About the Department of Theatre & Film

It is central to the mission of the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of Mississippi that we create an inclusive and supportive environment both on and off stage. The university definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion are as follows:

Diversity is an affirmation of the intersecting individual, social and organizational identities that make our community vibrant and transformational. Equity is directly addressing the social, institutional, organizational and systemic barriers that prevent members of marginalized groups from thriving in our community. Inclusion is actively and intentionally creating a welcoming campus where all individuals feel they have a supportive and affirming space to learn, grow and engage.

Developing diversity, equity and inclusion within our own organization requires us to acknowledge that social, institutional, organizational and systemic barriers prevent members of marginalized groups from thriving in our community. We are committed to educating our entire community—faculty, staff, students, and audiences (both on and off campus)—about how to uphold these principles. Furthermore, these values shall be practiced within all aspects of the organization and continually reexamined.

We acknowledge that historical, social, and systemic barriers exclude groups of people from both creating and participating in theatre and film. 

• We commit to producing work that reflects and represents the total makeup of the Mississippi community. 
• We commit to allocating space, time and resources to invite, acknowledge and provide a platform for marginalized and underrepresented voices. 
• We commit to making our productions and production methods as accessible as possible and to continually work toward increasing our capacity for accessibility.

We acknowledge that creating truly inclusive, welcoming, and supportive places of learning and work requires ongoing labor to understand how language, physical spaces, and social, historical, institutional, and cultural systems impact members of our community. 

• We commit to hosting regular events/trainings/workshops to address issues related to discrimination and/or bias in the performing arts for all students, faculty, and staff. 
• We commit to replacing instances of “OleMiss” in all official department documents to “The University of Mississippi.” 
• We commit to examining structural and individual biases in our current pedagogical and production practices, both in the classroom and in our production work. 

We acknowledge that the Department of Theatre & Film has a responsibility to create anti-racist and anti-hate work and spaces. 

• We commit to developing a program of events (including theatrical season, guest lectures, screenings, etc.) that reflects departmental values of inclusivity. 
• We commit to seeking out and hosting appropriate guest artists who are creating this kind of work and these kinds of spaces.

The Department of Theatre & Film urges our community to pause and reflect on the lands and institutions of which we are a part. These lands are the ancestral home to the Chickasaw Nation before their removal in 1837 and it is important to recognize that our place here is a result of many historical forces. We recognize the deep history of peoples impacted by the legacies of colonialism. Land acknowledgements are a regular practice of Indigenous cultures and we honor that practice. In addition, it is important to remember that the Chickasaw Nation remains a vibrant community, though separated from their ancestral home. Learn more about the Chickasaw Nation. 

We also acknowledge that this country, this state, and this university would not exist without the enslaved labor of Black people. To learn what little we know of enslaved individuals who were associated with the university, see the website SlaveryResearchGroup.olemiss.edu. This Slavery and the University Working Group “was formed in 2014 out of an interest to explore new scholarship on slavery and the legacies of slavery,” and “seeks to address these historical omissions and social neglect.”* As we work and teach and learn in this institution, the Department of Theatre & Film urges us all to honor and reflect on the legacies of the African diaspora and Black life and the ways these have shaped our world. 

Please take a moment to reflect on the lands, life, and labor of Indigenous and Black communities.