The Black Renaissance of SDSU
“Art is the great equalizer.”
This is an ideal prevalent in creative spaces, which is grounded in art’s innate ability to unite and provide solace for society, uncaring of our differences. The ability to reflect the innermost experiences of the human condition—to provide catharsis—is, after all, what defines one as an artist, not one's identity.
To create is to be human. And yet, artistic industries are built on historical foundations of inequity and oppression that continue to prevail today. In theatre and film, attempts made toward minority representation are corrupted by misconceptions and misrepresentations that are, unfortunately, often taken as commonplace. These misrepresentations have detrimental effects on our perceptions of marginalized groups and their cultures. According to McKinsey & Company, Black crew members behind-the-camera are severely underrepresented. Black screenwriters make up about 4% of the industry, compared to 6% of Black producers and directors. How are filmmakers expected to accurately portray the lived experiences of Black Americans within white-dominated writing rooms?
Therefore, a cyclical system is constructed– one that will not give up power and autonomy freely. So instead, artists are choosing to pave the way for themselves and their own stories.
I met with Cierra Watkins, the president of Black Renaissance, to discuss the importance of voices of color in the arts and the power of representation in theater. Black Renaissance is a performance arts club dedicated to displaying the work and talent of Black SDSU creatives.
Watkins is a theater arts major with an emphasis in performance. She is also a lifelong lover of acting.
“Theater gives me an outlet to express myself,” Watkins said. “It’s about portraying someone and putting your feelings into their body and making them real.”
She appreciates the opportunity to tell stories about not only her people and their culture, but about people in similar situations.
When she first arrived at the SDSU theater program her freshman year, she noticed a striking lack of diversity.
“I love the theater department, it’s great, they’re always ready to help you and guide you. But there was a lack of people who looked like me. So our advisor Peter Cirino said, ‘Why don’t you guys just make your own club?’”
Watkins, and fellow founders Leilani Snow and Joshua Jones, took matters into their own hands. They had one goal: “To create a space for Black excellence to be showcased at SDSU– to show their talent, be the main characters, and tell their own stories.”
Watkins set out to gain visibility for the Black community and others like it, understanding the importance of having their experiences made present in art.
“We wanted to give the chance for our community, and for other communities of color, to say we’re here, and we’re just as talented. That it’s okay to be yourself.”
But what’s the solution to changing the theater and film industry for good? Well, the change starts with storytellers.
“Black trauma is capitalized on in the film industry,” Watkins said, reflecting on the changes that need to be made. “If you look at the Oscar winners, all the Black films are about Black trauma. I would personally like to see Black actors not being stereotyped into these roles. There’s more we can do besides trauma films or slave films. I want to see actors who happen to be Black, a regular person like me living their life and the story that’s being told. I want to see less stereotypes, and more actors, directors, and people of all production aspects winning for roles not merely about trauma and pain”
“Just like they [powerful people in the film industry] have generational wealth, in the Black community, we also have generational trauma that passes down. We want to see fresh and new things about Black joy and not just Black sadness.”
You can expect countless new exciting projects from Black Renaissance in the future. Coming up on March 4, Cafe Murder will debut an interactive dinner theatre murder mystery. Watkins describes it as a fresh mix of The Menu and Glass Onion, all put together. On April 27, the second annual Black Film Festival can be found in Scripps Cottage.
“Overall, we just want the whole campus to see us be able to grow and stand on our own as an organization,” Watkins said. “We want them to see we’re serious and get work done, and also we tell the stories of our community, our people, and our ancestors.”
For students interested in Black Renaissance, you can follow their Instagram @sdsu_blackrenaissance. Black Renaissance is constantly building community at SDSU, by welcoming fellow students who share a passion for theater and film.
Maya Lynch — February 27th, 2022
