Universities promote 'BIPOC' fellowship from self-described 'anti-racist' theater company
Schools around the country are currently promoting a theater fellowship program that is marketed specifically for 'BIPOC' (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students.
Arena Stage, the group that organizes the program, states under its 'values' page that it 'champion[s] being an anti-racist organization.'
Several schools are promoting a theater fellowship program that is marketed specifically for “BIPOC” (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students.
On a University of South Carolina web page on “National Fellowships and Scholar Programs,” the school is sharing information on the Allen Lee Hughes BIPOC Fellowship. The fellowship is offered through Arena Stage, a theater company that aims to “[c]hampion and welcome diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion.”
Arena Stage also states under its “values” page that it “champion[s] being an anti-racist organization.”
The University of South Carolina website says the fellowship focuses on “[cultivating] the next generation of BIPOC theater professionals by providing the highest standard of training through immersion in the art and business of producing theater.”
[RELATED: Alfred University faces civil rights complaint over race-based arts program]
San Francisco State University is also promoting the same BIPOC fellowship program on its Fellowships Office Programs web page, using some of the same wording to describe the fellowship as the South Carolina website.
Students who are accepted into the fellowship program are set to receive “personalized training and in-depth, hands-on experience with top-tier professionals in artistic and technical production, arts administration, arts education, and community outreach.”
A spokesperson for San Francisco State University told Campus Reform: “The fellowship is open to all.”
[RELATED: Mass. art college provides ‘BIPOC Fund’ to prop up BLM and DEI agendas on campus]
According to the Arena Stage website, this fellowship and others “provide the opportunity annually for culturally diverse candidates from around the country to apprentice at Arena Stage to both increase the participation of people of color in the theater field at large and increase diversity within Arena Stage as well.”
The fellowship runs for a total of 38 weeks, and individuals selected for the fellowship are expected to work an average of 40 hours a week.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of South Carolina for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
