Leaders from the DGA’s Diversity Committees came together for a discussion on how we can intentionally move forward together as our Guild becomes increasingly more diverse. Held both online and in the Guild’s Los Angeles Boardroom on December 5, the Committee of Joint Co-Chairs event, Cultivating Common Ground for an Inclusive Union, featured African American Committee Co-Chair Paul Lindsay; former Asian American Committee Co-Chair Wenda Fong and current Co-Chairs Michael Goi and Maureen Bharoocha; Disability Committee Co-Chair Nandi Bowe and Rachel Raimist;; former Focus on Women Committee Co-Chair Annetta Marion and current Co-Chair Joan Bostwick; former Latino Committee Co-Chair Jesús Treviño and current Co-Chair SJ Main Muñoz; LGBTQ+ Committee member Patricia Rozema and Representative Committee member Rhys Ernst; and Women’s Steering Committee Director Category Representative Mary Lou Belli. The currently provisional Jewish, Middle East and North African and Indigenous Committees were also represented with Jewish Committee Co-Chair Kevin Koster offering insight into the work of his group.
During a conversation moderated by Bharoocha and Lindsay, the panelists explored how to support movement, growth and understanding as a collective force. The discussion began with a representative from each committee sharing the history and work of their respective organizations from formation to the present. The panelists underscored the immense difference in the landscape industry-wide regarding inclusion of historically underrepresented groups. Within the discussion some members highlighted the continued challenges around addressing workplace harassment and discrimination and underscored how vitally important it is that members speak up about those experiences and report them as they occur. The panel discussion ended with a call to action for all of the committees — including those in the provisional phase — to be more collaborative and intentional about how to utilize the collective voice of the committees to affect change.
About the Committee of Joint Co-Chairs
The Committee of Joint Co-Chairs is a group that brings together the co-chairs of the African American Steering Committee, Asian American Committee, Disability Committee, Eastern Diversity Steering Committee, Focus on Women Committee, Latino Committee, LGBTQ+ Committee and the Women’s Steering Committee, as well as the Guild's provisional Jewish Committee, to look for avenues for these committees to work together to increase diversity and inclusion in the industry through meetings, seminars, networking, training and events.
