TAMPA, Fla. — When most people think of the arts, diversity isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. 

Singer, performer and Straz Center for the Performing Arts Community Engagement Specialist, Fred Johnson is all too familiar with the lack of diversity. He’s been a signer and performer for the last 55 years. 

“There needs to be greater diversity in those upper echelon levels, in those board rooms, in those executive suites and in those director and leadership positions,” said Johnson.

“To be in those decision making positions are so very, very important because it can help to more broadly inform in a way that the community is served on a broader level. And it also creates a legacy in the sense that, again there’s so many jobs in the arts and just a handful of them have to do with the people who step on stage and do what they do, there’s this myriad of other folk so to diversify that,” he said.

Like most institutions, corporations and organizations, the death of George Floyd and the protests last summer made the Straz Center for the Performing Arts CEO, Judy Lisi and her staff, pull back the curtain and take a hard look at racism in this country.

“It was kind of like we all came out of a cloud, we all woke up a little bit. We’ve had a strong diversity program for years and we worked really hard. But when that happened we realized it just wasn’t enough, we had to do more,” Lesi said.

So they made a commitment that includes diversifying their current board of directors.

“My dream is, we don’t have to have a diversity program, we are it and we do it in a natural way not in a way that has to be strategic,” said Lesi. “We do it in a way because that’s who we are as a community but we’re not there yet.”

Straz Interim Director of Education and Community Engagement, Alice Santana said they have a ten point action plan to fight against racism and for inclusion. That plan includes implementing a more diverse recruitment process in those upper level positions and hosting town halls and listening sessions that focus on black artists and black issues.

“Being able to have those conversations, shed a light to it, present it in an artistic way that makes other people who aren’t aware of these situations, actually learn something through it, then I feel that we are making a new pathway and opening up new conversations that haven’t been happening. And that’s something the arts is really good at doing,” Santana said.

Leaders at the Straz said the changes won’t change the world but it will change things inside of the Straz. Will these changes strike the right cord here and with other arts organizations across the country? Leaders at the Straz sure hope so. 

The Straz is also featuring a special performance Arts Legacy REMIX: Juneteenth Commemoration this Saturday in honor of Juneteenth. It’s being held on the Tampa River Walk stage at 7 p.m. Tickets are free and required in advance at www.strazcenter.org.