As women of color, Anja Shukla and Kathryn Lau noticed a lack of representation in the arts in high school, so they co-founded The Colorization Collective, an organization supporting teen artists of color. Their personal stories illustrate the power of authentic representation in the arts and why creating a more empathetic and diverse world is critical. Anya Shukla (she/her) recently graduated from High School in Seattle. An avid singer and writer, she is passionate about diversity in the arts and is excited to share its importance on the TEDxYouth@Seattle stage. In 2019, she co-founded The Colorization Collective, an organization that supports teen artists of color. Through The Collective, Anya and her colleagues work to amplify the voices of young BIPOC artists. In doing so, she hopes to push for a future where everyone can see their identities and experiences reflected across all forms of media. In her free time, she enjoys baking with her sister and watching rom-coms.
Kathryn Lau (she/hers) is a recent High School graduate. She originally grew up in Redmond before coming to call the Greater Seattle Area her home, including Edmonds where she currently lives. Kathryn loves the performing arts - singing, dancing, acting - but also swims and dives. In her free time, you might see her at a local dog park or bubble tea shop. Having grown up in the world of classical ballet, and later transitioned into an interdisciplinary musical theatre art form, she has seen countless instances of racial injustice firsthand in the professional and personal arts world. After completing an acting intensive, she partnered with a friend to create an organization made to support and promote other teen artists of color. She hopes to share this work with the TEDxYouth @ Seattle audience and the world to create a more equitable and inclusive arts scene, which will in turn create a more empathetic and diverse world. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
8 авг 2023
