Parent Supports First Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Initiative at LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts
Thaddeus Davis and Tanya Wideman-Davis of Wideman-Davis Dance were invited for a residency and performance with LMU Dance as part of the Emerging Artists series.
As a businessman, Brian Reyes, P '22, has seen firsthand how effective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices benefit organizations and their customers. As a parent of an LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts student, Reyes values the whole person education offered at LMU and believes DEI enhances that ethos. So, when Reyes went to his company, C&W Services, to support the CFA BIPOC Arts in Los Angeles Initiative (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), there was strong interest to invest.
“It’s important to me that my company is supporting this initiative,” said Reyes. “In higher education institutions across the country, I have observed the need to improve DEI opportunities for the impact it can have on students’ learning outcomes while building their own competitive advantage. We want to help fuel this type of initiative so that LMU can demonstrate continued leadership in this important area of need.”
With this program being one of the first BIPOC initiatives at LMU, CFA Dean Bryant Keith Alexander, Ph.D., hopes to see similar BIPOC initiatives modeled at other schools and colleges. Reyes is one of a group of CFA parents who see the value in this work and are stepping up to support this initiative with seed funding.
“The CFA BIPOC Arts in Los Angeles Initiative is a manifestation of our deep commitment to the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion at LMU as part of the fabric of our mission to educate the whole person,” said Alexander. “The initiative immerses students in myriad cultural experiences, including bringing visiting artists and scholars to LMU as well as exploring Los Angeles to enhance and contextualize the dignity of all human lives for the betterment of society.”
Reyes added, “Whether a BIPOC student or not, being exposed to various expressions of art is very valuable. The opportunity for students to see, hear, and feel diverse celebrations of culture through art can support creative expression, open-mindedness, and potential new collaboration outside of current norms. Creating authentic opportunities for diversity of thought stimulates new levels of understanding, which supports new ideas that drive innovation.”
To support the CFA BIPOC Arts in Los Angeles Initiative, call Melissa Mooney, director of development, at Melissa.Mooney@lmu.edu or 310.338.5975 or visit here.