The Ethnic Theatre Alliance firmly believes in social justice and love in action.
Although the group identifies as a theater organization, they have hosted multiple events focused on race and social justice issues, most recently a Trans Lives Matter march down McKinley Avenue Sept. 17.
“ETA is an organization that uses theater and social justice to inspire, involve and pop the Ball State community bubble on human issues that must be addressed in our country, city, state and nation,” ETA president Nathaniel Thomas said. “Social justice is love in action. That is a statement that ETA believes in and lives by.”
The group uses theater and art to explore cultures, diversity and racial discrimination. They focus on doing an event at least once a month where they reach out to Ball State students and the community.
Some of the events put together by ETA have included protesting on social injustice issues such as Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Mo., and most recently, bringing awareness to transgender lives.
The goal of the Trans Lives Matter march was to start a conversation on campus about the 19 transgender women killed so far in 2015, and to show their support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
“We are having this march to encourage our students to look at the state of emergency," Thomas said. "Our trans brothers and sisters are dying, and if the media won't cover it, if the school won't talk about it, then we, as the student body, will start the conversation."
Trans Lives Matter participants met at North Quad, where students and community members spoke out on transphobia and encouraged the spread of awareness through conversation.
“We want this to become a conversation that is happening on campus; something that someone isn’t afraid to talk about," Thomas said. "This conversation is about love and unity. This conversation is about the brotherhood and sisterhood of this country that we have failed to lose over the course of all these killings."
ETA secretary, Shay Stewart, said when ETA holds peaceful marches, it's because they want to raise awareness.
“Muncie is a great little town, but we are also in the middle of Indiana cornfield, and it’s important that we don’t allow the bubble of Ball State or the bubble of the Midwest to get so comfortable that we forget to pay attention to and show our support for causes and issues larger than our own personal experiences," Stewart said.
Their goal through these protests are not only to speak up on important controversial issues, but to also show support to the individuals who may be affected by them, she said.
“ETA feels it’s important to specifically show love and support to members of the BSU community who feel at any time unwelcome or unwanted because of their race, sexuality, gender, religion or any other reason," Stewart said. "Everyone should know that the world wants them and that someone cares about them."
The next event the ETA will be hosting is Diversity Day on Sept. 25 in the Bracken Library courtyard. Thomas said the event will be like a living museum featuring all kinds of people ranging from different genders, ethnicities and sexual affiliations.
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