EEOC

Screen Actors Guild National Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee (EEOC) and the National Spanish Language Media Task Force (NSLMTF) begin the New Year with great excitement and a deep commitment to communicating with and serving  you!

We want our membership to know that we appreciate your ongoing participation in the Screen Actors Guild and intend to make it an even more positive experience that we hope will support your needs and aspirations. 

Some of the exciting things we are working on for 2011 are...

• Updating the NSLMTF and the EEOC web pages on www.sag.org to help make your visits to our site more frequent, useful and enjoyable.  
  
•  Informative workshops, seminars and celebratory events that will showcase our diverse members and increase work opportunities.  
  
•  ….and much more 
  

We want to HEAR, SEE & KNOW more about you and we want you to know that we are proud to serve you!

The EEOC works to address matters of interest to SAG performers from the following racial/ethnic groups — African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic and Native American Indian. The EEOC explores ways to promote more diverse casting and enforce the contractual policy of non-discrimination and fair employment.

President’s National Task Force for American Indians member Caucus – September 28, 2009

Click here to read more.

Throughout the past year, Screen Actors Guild Affirmative Action & Diversity presented a series of membership caucuses hosted by the SAG Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee and SAG President’s National Task Force for American Indians. At these membership caucuses, members learned about new and recurring affirmative action programs and diversity initiatives targeted at increasing equal employment opportunities and eliminating discrimination/harassment in the entertainment industry. Membership surveys were distributed to all member attendees in order to determine how to better serve workplace needs and address issues of diversity, non-discrimination and equal employment.

For a PDF of the latest SAG Casting Data Reports 2007 and 2008, click here.

For more information on the ethnic membership caucuses/programs, see below for synopses, videos, press releases, reports and more!

SAG ARAB/MIDDLE EASTERN MEMBERSHIP CAUCUS

On January 14, 2009, an Arab/Middle Eastern Membership Caucus was held at Aroma Café in Hollywood. Arab/Middle Eastern members discussed the specific challenges they face in their careers, including being limited to stereotypical roles. After the caucus, members attended panel discussion, Broadening the Scope: Roles for Arab/Muslim Actors in Film & Television, at Harmony Gold Theater sponsored by SAG Affirmative Action & Diversity and SAG Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee in conjunction with Levantine Cultural Center and Muslim Public Affairs Council. Panelists included actors Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog", "X-Men 3", "House of Saddam"), Maz Jobrani ("The Interpreter"), Raya Meddine ("Bosta", "CSI Miami"), Omar Metwally ("Rendition", "Munich") and Oded Fehr ("The Mummy", "Sleeper Cell").

Additionally, several contracts were recently modified to include Arab and Middle Eastern performers in SAG diversity incentives and non-discrimination/diversity provisions:

“Arab / Middle Eastern” added to Diversity in Casting Incentives for Low Budget Agreements
In April 2009, SAG Low Budget Committee accepted a recommendation by SAG Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee to update the definition of “People of Color” within the Diversity in Casting Incentives offered in the Modified Low and Low Budget Film Agreements.

The revised Incentive Criteria reads as follows:
“If the producer has demonstrated diversity in casting by meeting the following criteria:

• A minimum of 50% of the total speaking roles and 50% of the total days of employment are cast with Performers who are members of the following four (4) protected groups: 1) Women, 2) Senior Performers (sixty (60) years or older), 3) Performers with Disabilities, or 4) People of Color (Black/African American, Asian/Pacific Islander and South Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Arab/Middle Eastern and Native American Indian) and;
• A minimum of 20% of the total days of employment is cast with performers who are People of Color”

For productions that qualify for the Incentive, the total production cost maximum may be increased to the following amounts:
Modified Low Budget Agreement: From $625,000.00 to $937,500.00
AND Low Budget Agreement: From $2,500,000.00 to $3,750,000.00

SAG & AFTRA Commercials Contract now includes “Middle Eastern” performers in the non-discrimination provisions as applicable to stunt performers
The newly ratified 2009 Commercials Contract includes an expanded provision regarding “paint-downs” of stunt performers. The language now explicitly states: “Where the stunt performer doubles for a role which is identifiable as female and/or Black, Latin-Hispanic, Asian-Pacific or, Native American, or Middle Eastern and the race and/or sex of the double are also identifiable, Producer shall make every effort to cast qualified persons of the same sex and/or race involved. Producer reaffirms that this Section 14 prohibits the practice commonly referred to as ‘painting down’.”

SAG LATINO/A MEMBERSHIP CAUCUS

On April 16, 2009, a Latino/a Membership Caucus entitled, Sabor Latino/a: Latin American Actors Share Successes & Challenges in Hollywood, was held during ActorFest at the annual National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Conference in Newport Beach, California. SAG members/actors Wilson Cruz (“He’s Just Not That Into You”, “My So-Called Life”) and Danny Arroyo (“Resurrection Boulevard”, “ER”) discussed their film and television careers as Latino actors in the entertainment industry to an audience of new and aspiring Latino/a performers.

To watch the conversation between Wilson Cruz and Danny Arroyo, click here to watch video on SAG TV.

SAG API MEMBERSHIP CAUCUS

On May 2, 2009, SAG celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at its Asian Pacific Islander Membership Caucus by highlighting SAG films featured at the 25th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Hosted in collaboration with Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) and Visual Communications, a special reception honored the cast and filmmakers of Dim Sum Funeral, White on Rice and Children of Invention. SAG members/actors such as Russell Wong, Kelly Hu, Jason Kyson Lee and Lynn Chen, as well as young newcomer Michael Chen from Children of Invention, were recognized for their contribution in one of the three featured films.

For press release of this program, click here.

SAG Affirmative Action & Diversity also unveiled key findings of its latest commissioned study, “From Dollars & Sense to the Screen: The Asian Pacific Islander Market and the Entertainment Industry.”

SAG AFRICAN AMERICAN MEMBERSHIP CAUCUS

SAG presented African American Images in Hollywood: How did we get here? Are We Far Enough? at its African American Membership Caucus on June 18, 2009 to a 200+ member audience at SAG national headquarters in Los Angeles. Past and current portrayals and employment of African American actors in entertainment were discussed among accomplished African American industry professionals, including director and producer Bill Duke, actor and national SAG board member Bernie Casey, director of programming for Warner Bros. Odetta Watkins, casting director Aisha Coley and Director of NBC Universal Talent Diversity Initiatives Kendra Carter.

For press release of this program, click here.

Click here for video.

SAG AMERICAN INDIAN MEMBERSHIP CAUCUS

On September 28, 2009, newly minted SAG National President Ken Howard made his first public appearance at an American Indian Membership Caucus hosted by SAG National President’s Task Force on American Indians. In addition to President Howard’s first remarks to members, a partial screening of “Trail of Tears” from the critically acclaimed PBS series “We Shall Remain” was presented, followed by an informal panel discussion with casting director Rene Haynes, actor Russell Means, actor Tonantzin Carmelo, SAG President’s National Task Force Chair Delanna Studi and SAG Affirmative Action & Diversity National Director Rebecca Yee.

For press release of this program, click here.

For more information about PBS “We Shall Remain,” click here.