Taliq Tillman: Creating New Ways to Bring Conversations About Diversity Into Schools

About this video

“My story’s still kind of in the works. Your history is a part of who you are, and I’ve been thinking about the story of my family. I’m a first-generation student, and I think about the struggles Mom and Dad went through so I could have opportunities like this. I also might talk about arts integration in education, through the lens of social justice.

Being a student and an actor, education is definitely intertwined with acting for me. I’ve taught theater classes, and that evolved into arts integration. This would entail a big project at Trinity that’s a part of my internship. Also, I’m helping to start a venture called Diversity Talks. If it gets funded, I would be able to talk about it more.

I love to tell stories and have since I was young. Acting in itself is implicit in telling a story. Being an actor you have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, empathize with a totally different character. And everyone has the potential and the ability to listen to and to tell stories. That makes us special.

This year I’m focusing on opportunities to learn how to listen to other people’s stories. When I’m at the BIF Summit, I want to make sure to not just share my story, but also listen closely to others’ stories.” – Taliq Tillman, BIF2017