“We will continue to engage in conversation. We will continue to learn. We will continue to grow and we will never stop doing more.”
Charleen Qwaye, Fourth Monkey Co-founder, Deputy CEO, Director of Training & Actor“You either have to change people’s minds before you change their hearts – in which case, educate.
Or you have to change people’s hearts before you change their minds –
in which case, let them see you.
Racial prejudice, discrimination and exclusion is and has always been a problem for all of us. It is incumbent on all of us to radically transform the world in which we live in order for us all to thrive.” – Charleen Qwaye, Fourth Monkey Co-founder, Deputy CEO, Director of Training & Actor.
Fourth Monkey was founded with a vision and goal of creating a world ignited by visceral and diverse voices, sharing untold and unheard stories through bold, collaborative and revolutionary actor training.
As a school, and as part of this vision, Fourth Monkey have a continued commitment to celebrating diversity in its all forms. This means ensuring the school and its training are as inclusive and accessible as possible, and that the Fourth Monkey community of practitioners and students (both past and present) are constantly engaging in a wider conversation around diversity and inclusivity, so that we can continue to learn, grow and push to do more for positive change as an actor training company and as individuals within this community.
For anyone now wondering where to start or how to educate themselves in order to be better equipped to listen, support and act as part of this ongoing conversation surrounding diversity, equality and inclusivity, below is a selection of resources and links that we have compiled to help get you started.
This is by no means an exhaustive (or complete!) list, but simply a suggested selection of books, articles, podcast episodes, films and TV series’, and other resources that can be used to start anyone who may now be wondering where to start on the path to educating themselves and finding further resources…
Please note: Fourth Monkey is not responsible for the content of other sites and third parties.
READ (Books & articles)
How to be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi
Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21stCentury – Kehinde Andrews
If They Come in the Morning… Voices of Resistance – edited by Angela Y. Davis
I Am Not Your Negro – James Baldwin
Assata: An Autobiography – Assata Shakur
The Oxford Companion to Black British History – edited by David Dabydeen, John Gilmore & Cecily Jones
BRIT(ish) – Afua Hirsch
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America – Ibram X. Kendi
Unlimited Power: A Black Choice – Anthony Robbins & Joseph McClendon III
Mandela – Martin Meredith
Black British: A Photographic History – Paul Gilroy
Afropean: Notes from Black Europe – Johny Pitts
Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire – (Akala)
Black Macho and the Myth of the Super Woman – Michele Wallace
Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change – Chelsea Kwakye & Ore Ogunbiyi
The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
Go Tell it On the Mountain – James Baldwin
You Can’t Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain – Phoebe Robinson
To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
(A number of copies of many of the above titles are available in the Monkey House library)
Silence is NOT an option– a public statement from ice cream manufacturers Ben & Jerry’s, and an insight into how global brands can use their voice to push for change and engage in the conversation
Allure – Five Ways to Take Action– an American-centric round-up of articles, but still interesting food for thought
10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship– a beautifully simple and easy to follow distillation of the principles being outlined in key anti-racist works by Mireilla Cassandra Harper (via British Vogue)
WATCH & LISTEN (Interviews, films & TV series)
Oprah Winfrey on Personal Experiences with Racism, Life, The Color Purple & the Future of OWN
George Floyd death: Spike Lee says protesters were ‘not just born angry’
Black Lives Matter – The Provocateurs: A Master Series – a creative video series produced by Black Lives Matter: Arts + Culture
Ctrl Alt Delete #198:Rachel Cargle – Instagram, Activism & White Privilege – a podcast episode featuring an interview with the academic, writer and lecturer
13th(Ava DuVernay) – Netflix
Dear White People (Justin Simien) – Netflix
I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin documentary) – Amazon Prime
When They See Us (Ava Duvernay) – Netflix
SHARE & FOLLOW (Instagram & Twitter)
Black Lives Matter – a global organisation, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy
Edward Enninful – British Vogue Editor-in-Chief
Rachel Cargle – public academic, writer and lecturer, whose work explores the intersection of race and womanhood
The Great Unlearn – community and resources curated by Rachel Cargle
Ibram X. Kendi – Professor and author, director of The Antiracist Research & Policy Center
Reni Eddo-Lodge – writer
Munroe Bergdorf – model and activist
Mireille Cassandra Harper – editor, publicist and writer
Angela Davis – political activist, scholar and author
SUPPORT & ACT (wider resources & organisations)
Black Lives Matter– including specific petitions for action and change
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
Plan International – further links and resources for those looking to be an active anti-racist ally, or simply looking to further educate themselves
Read the full statement from Fourth Monkey’s Co-founder, Deputy CEO, Director of Training and Actor Charleen Qwaye, plus learn more about Fourth Monkey’s Continued Commitment, here.
#Morethanjustahashtag #jointherevolution
