REIMAGINE CASTING: NON-WHITE PAPER

• Commit to being a part of the shift that includes equality for all.
• Encourage studios and production companies to sign the WOCU Seal.
  Practice accountability and transparency within the industry and among colleagues by becoming more informed about the varied cultural narratives within marginalized communities by committing to conversations with marginalized groups.
• Champion authentic representation and cultural specificity that reflects our global society.
• Embrace body positivity for all roles – with a focus on leading & series regular roles.
• Support a more diverse community including casting directors, associate casting directors, casting assistants, etc.
• Address “exclusion by familiarity” by expanding & diversifying your internal and external landscape.
• Address Ethnic Fraud by promoting authentic casting practices.
• Promote awareness of anti-discrimination fair hiring practices that prohibit employers from asking about ethnicity, race, color, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, etc.
• Ensure visible signage and access at casting sessions for all actors including elevators, ramps and wheelchair access.
• Provide reasonable accommodations for deaf/hearing impaired and blind/low vision at all casting sessions.
• Advocate for, and when possible designate, a gender neutral bathroom.
• Create a safe and accessible environment for all actors.
• Advocate for Narrative Sovereignty, “Nothing About Us Without Us”

Women of Color Unite would like to thank the Equity in Entertainment Committee of the Casting Society of America for engaging and partnering to make the Entertainment Industry more inclusive. This won’t address every inequity in casting but it’s a damn good start.

As Dr. Maya Angelou says, “When you know better, you do better”.