A Map To The Line, And How Not To Cross It: A Code Of Conduct For The Performing Arts
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Some of the members of the We Have Voice Collective, the authors of a new code of conduct for preventing harassment in performing arts spaces. Front row, seated (left to right): Linda May Han Oh, Jen Shyu, Sara Serpa. Back row, standing (left to right): I
This past fall, when news of the Harvey Weinstein scandal was galvanizing the #MeToo movement, some of us who work in the performing arts had a peculiar experience: Colleagues started asking if they'd sexually harassed us. A few of these colleagues may have been attempting to head off allegations, but many of them genuinely didn't know if they'd crossed a line.
There are 14 musicians, all connected to the jazz world, who came together to address this concern in a specific way. They have formed a collective, calling it We Have Voice, with the purpose of sharing their priorities. Now, the group has created a document to bring attention to its mission.
Some of these musicians were old friends; some were only vaguely familiar to one another. As friends and colleagues spoke, their network grew to include 14 women: Fay Victor, Ganavya Doraiswamy, Imani Uzuri, Jen Shyu, Kavita Shah, Linda May Han Oh, María Grand, Nicole Mitchell, Okkyung Lee, Rajna Swaminathan, Sara Serpa, Tamar Sella, Terri Lyne Carrington and Tia Fuller.
