The playwright said his intention was for the performance to be historically accurate. He said racial slurs were used provocatively to make him feel the impact. It shows how you will be treated when you travel. Training sessions like the one pictured were common at the time and were intended to help people understand the seriousness of the behavior they might face.
Brown, who joined the listening session via video call, said the play appeared to have sparked a discussion of race relations on campus separate from his work.
“As the conversation progressed, some students came up and looked at my image on the screen and said, ‘This is not your play, Mr. Brown. We are not playing at this location at this time. ” he said in an interview.
Last year, the president of the Black Students Association went on hunger strike to raise awareness of the lack of diversity on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University. Some of the reasons for her dissatisfaction include: Despite its diverse student body, the university lacked substantial classes focused on ethnic and racial studies. No established multicultural center existed for students to congregate.
The outcry, along with other feedback from students about concerns about campus climate and diversity, is a testament to the university’s efforts earlier this year to “community, engagement, and inclusion” through a strategic plan that includes measures such as the incorporation of multiculturalism. I urged them to announce that they would emphasize the Curriculum inclusion and anti-intolerance. Engage in culture-relevant education to connect with students from diverse backgrounds. Identify spaces on campus for multicultural student programs.
However, student council president Jaron Leonard said the controversy surrounding the play showed that students’ grievances were not being addressed to the extent they would like.
“It wasn’t the play itself, but recently, some of the things we’ve dealt with in the past with schools about diversity and inclusion weren’t unanswered,” he said, adding, “This is up there. Of these issues to be thrown, it was one we weren’t ready to accept.”