IATSE: Throughout the month of March, IATSE will be celebrating our past and present leading Sisters and Kin in the IA and labor movement at large who contributed and dedicated their lives to help advance women’s rights and fought for the freedom to organize. From championing better workplace conditions to demanding fair wages, stay tuned each week for the women trailblazers who helped transform the labor movement.
3 comments:
I don't think I can count on both of my hands how many women there ever were on IATSE crews when I was in Oklahoma and I really don't want to recount how many women of color there were either. But I do know that from every woman who has ever taken the time to know my name on those calls and give me a helping hand or a smile when they know I need it, I will forever be grateful to them. They made those calls feel comfortable and safe for a nervous girl like me and I didn't want to interact with crusty old white men. It's not to say that those people weren't kind to me either, but it's more that, when you see someone who is just the least bit similar to you, even if it's just being a woman, it brings a certain comfort and I'll forever be humbled by woman in any local call. Happy Late International Women's Day, Women! We kinda rock.
Compared to the last article I read about women's history month, this one disappointed me. It was short, lackluster, and only featured three women. This seems to be a theme though, so I am not surprised. Companies that celebrate women’s history month, and other social justice causes do so in a way that seems performative. I am so glad that the celebration IATSE is putting together throughout this month will continue. I know that there is much more than just the three incredible women that were featured. I enjoyed learning what little I did in this article. I don’t know much about IATSE, to begin with, so this side of their history is really important to me. Moving through the rest of this month I will do my best to keep the women I know in the industry at the forefront of my mind. The entire entertainment industry would crumble without the support, work, and empowerment of women. Happy to be one of the women apart of this incredible industry. Yay!
This article did not seem at all to actually care about women in theatre, or celebrating women in theatre. It was incredibly short, and only showcased three women. It felt much more performative based as if IATSE felt forced to produce this article. It was not made because they wanted to uplift and showcase women, but because they felt it was not socially acceptable for them not to. This is a trend I have noticed and been very hyper-aware of, both in and outside of the theatre. Companies feel the need to show activism in an act of being performative in order to gain support from those communities. They want to seem politically correct. This then makes these posts and actions invalid, as they are not coming from a place of genuine care and interest. I have heard the argument "does it matter because the actions are still happening" but I argue yes, as the person is not going to put adequate attention into the action. That's why this post was so short and poorly executed. Yes, of course, it's better than nothing.
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