Equity in the News Diversity

Carter takes the position of first vice president following the resignation of former First Vice President Melissa Robinette.

The arts, entertainment, and media unions—including IATSE and Actors’ Equity Association—affiliated with the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) announced their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy agenda during a digital press conference with union leaders, staff, and members. The DEI policy agenda details the legislative action the unions will urge members of Congress to support to help make their industries more representative.

Hollywood’s major unions have signed on with the AFL-CIO-affiliated push to advance public policy initiatives involving diversity, equity and inclusion issues.

Leaders of the Hollywood’s unions today outlined their legislative agenda to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts, entertainment and media industries, including a call on Congress to pass a flurry of legislation to increase federal arts funding; establish diversity objectives for grant recipients; to leverage federal tax incentives to encourage diverse hiring, and to protect the rights of unions to organize nonunion workers.

Theatrical union leaders put forward a legislative agenda Thursday aimed at increasing diversity, equity and inclusion within the arts industry.

Last June, Equity’s council adopted a Black Lives Matter resolution, committing to re-examining  Actors’ Equity Association from the ground up.

Lin-Manuel Miranda should be proud. According to Actors’ Equity Association, “Hamilton” has led to a sizable increase in jobs for actors of color.

The theater industry has hired more actors and stage managers of color in the past four years, but still falls short of reflecting the diversity of the country, according to a new study from Actors’ Equity.

Study finds only “gradual, inconsistent” improvement for members from marginalized groups.

For an industry that has struggled with diverse representation on its stage, the success of "Hamilton," with its innovative casting, and this season's Broadway lineup is a sign that improvement is possible. A diversity study released by Actors’ Equity (the national union representing professional theater actors and stage managers) examining Broadway and touring productions that opened from 2013 to 2015 highlights great disparity in the number of black actors hired in principal roles.