On Saturday, January 30th I spoke at Montclair University on a panel for Art & Social Change, during a 2-day conference brought to us by our friends at SAALT.  I think I probably learned more from the experience than the folks participating -- it really made me question what kind of change can I make through my art, when I write plays that no one in the mainstream hears?

Nearly all the large, publicly funded institutions that dedicate themselves to new playwrights rarely produce more than one South Asian playwright in their lifetime (if that) and there's simply not a lot of advocacy around South Asian American stories in the mainstream and at an institutional level. 

Rather than this be a bitch session (which to be honest, I allow myself to indulge in much too often), I'd rather take a hard look at why this is, and what policies seem to be in place to support the exclusion of South Asian Americans (I'm not talking Bollywood here folks) in the larger theater and media landscape.  To start, South Asian isn't even a category in the last census; S. Asian falls into the category of Asian American, and let's not get into the number of debates that I get into on what is Asian American and not.

Plus, according to the SAALT site:  "A recent report states that ”Forty-three percent of NY’s South Asian population not registered with the Census Bureau.” This statistic has been attributed to the high density of immigrants in areas such as Queens, Jackson Heights, Flushing, etc. who are afraid to disclose their information on Census forms. The Census Bureau 'stressed that the census data will neither be shared with the FBI nor used for any other purpose, and called upon immigrants to actively participate in the census exercise for the greater benefit of their communities.' It is of utmost importance to realize that the fact that these populations remain uncounted and unrepresented results in lack of services including schools, roads, hospitals, and access to translated services. We urge you to not only fill out and return your Census form but help others in your community do the same! Let’s work together to make sure South Asians count in Census 2010!"

I suppose if South Asians are not even being represented in school programs and community issues, then how the hell are we going to even make a dent in theater?