Inclusivity for Communities

Is my space inclusive?

Here are some questions that people of color are often thinking about when evaluating places to train circus:

• If I'm a person of color, will I fit in? Will there be a good amount of other BIPOC acrobats there?

• Is the general environment conducive to not 'othering' marginalized groups (Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, GNC, Fat, Disabled, etc), not making them feel tokenized or not seen?

• Are the organizers aware of racial/social justice issues and power dynamics, and how these show up in circus? Will organizers address (micro)aggressions when they happen?

• Are the organizers open to ongoing feedback, especially from attendees with more marginalized identities?

• Are there BIPOC in leadership postions? Teachers? Organizers?

• Is there acknowledgment for the Indigenous land where events are held?

• Are there efforts made towards financial accessibility (sliding scale, volunteer spots, work/trade, BIPOC scholarships)?

Challenging the Status Quo

BACCES asks organizations to agree to certain precepts before we agree to partner. Just having 'BIPOC scholarships' or saying 'You are welcome here' can feel like performative gestures towards inclusion.

Some things that BACCES looks at when evaluating partnerships are whether the organizations agree to:

• Donating free tickets that we can grant to BIPOC artists

• Doing a meaningful land acknowledgment at the start of their programming

• Hiring BIPOC instructors

• Hosting social justice learning chats

• Attending a racial justice onboarding presentation

• Supporting BIPOC affinity group meet-ups

• Fundraising for BIPOC organizations

Representation is a start, but we are asking for a commitment to changing the culture of circus spaces to be more welcoming to all.

RESOURCES