DB NEWS • March 31, 2021
The Joffrey Academy of Dance in Chicago has started an outreach program, which focuses on engaging the parents of students of color.
Spearheaded by youth division liaison Keesha Beckford, the Joffrey BIPOC parent committee (as it's known) gives BIPOC parents and the school's faculty opportunities to communicate in meetings throughout the year. Discussions center on how the school can better serve its students of color in the overwhelmingly white ballet world.
Parents of white students are also encouraged to attend the meetings. “It’s educational to have all these harder conversations that some non-BIPOC parents may not know we go through,” Monique Jones, a member of the parent committee, said in an interview with the Reset podcast.
The committee meets every six weeks.
