RIT/NTID Diversity Spotlight
[ID: The background image is black, green, yellow, and red. A smiling man has red hair, a purple turtleneck, grey and red striped sweater, and a silver pinky ring. His fingers rest on his cheek. The Diversity & Inclusion logo is in the top left corner. Text in white reads: Black Heritage Month Spotlight. Thomas Warfield.]
Thomas Warfield
Senior Lecturer
NTID Department for Performing Arts
Thomas Warfield is the RIT Director of Dance and NTID Department of Performing Arts.
What is your nationality/how do you identify?
African-American
What or who has been your biggest cultural influence?
Two of the biggest cultural influences in my life have been civil rights protests and music. My mother was involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960's, and early in my youth I studied nonviolence principles of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and a man who was a hero from my childhood, Bayard Rustin. My father was a conductor and musician and deeply influenced my passion for music; and he is partly why I became a musician.
What is your favorite cultural dish?
Growing up my father used to make salmon cakes on Saturdays and I loved them. My mom used to cook a delicious squash dish that I still try to replicate.
What would you like people to know about your culture?
I think of my identity as a mixture of 3 (at least 3) cultures: The African-American culture which has given me, among other things, a deeply rooted faith and a love for storytelling - through poetry, music and dance. Being a gay man, I've learned resilience, to be free to be and express myself, and a true sense of blending family and friendship. The third culture I have a strong affinity with is the creatives/performing artists where I discovered ways to recognize and utilize my imagination just as freely as my intelligence.
From your lens, how can the larger community better support POC, like yourself?
I think one of the best ways non-POC can support POC is to learn about, address and finally undo their own entitlement and privilege. People of Color must navigate systems, institutions and individual racism on a daily basis and white privilege is the glue that prevents the dismantling of racism and discrimination.
Do you have any resources to share for someone who would like to learn more about your culture?
Resources: 'The Fire Next Time' by James Baldwin, 'Race Matters' by Cornel West, 'The New Jim Crow' by Michelle Alexander, "The Bluest Eye' by Toni Morrison, 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama, 'My Music, My Life' by William Warfield.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
A fun fact about me is I once performed in a circus for 2 years in Japan.