Many pioneers and change makers are often forgotten or never really acknowledged for the pathways they created for others to walk upon in the struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. The sacrifices they ALL made by being the “first Black American” to hold certain positions in our society, or step into an arena where Black people had been barred from participation or denied access. Marvin L. Sims was one of those pioneers and change-makers. At the time of his death, in 2003 at the age of 55, Marvin Sims was the president of the Black Theatre Network and a former board member of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. He also was the first African American to be elected president of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, an organization of individuals and institutions known for providing vision and leadership for the profession and promoting theatre education. Marvin Sims served as the Head of Performance in the Department of Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University and as a member of the faculty from 1998 until his death in 2003.
Professor Sims was a well-respected colleague in the theatre department and a leader in the School of the ARTS. He was admired by his students as an incredible role model who was deeply committed to both teaching and advocacy. According to both colleagues and students, Marvin Sims always brought a strong human element to everything he did. Students recalled him as someone who helped to nurture them, and always supported them in their professional pursuits within the theatre industry. More importantly, Marvin Sims allowed the students he taught and mentored to be heard as he earnestly listened to their concerns. His advocacy helped many Black students feel as though they were not alone within the hallowed halls of a predominantly white institution that often paid little attention to their specific concerns and needs. Before “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” were the catchwords of the day or a part of the mission or vision in the Department of Theatre at VCU, and before they were recognized as the necessary pillars in building a strong, vibrant, and inclusive university campus and department, Marvin Sims was a professor and administrator that these students could turn to who genuinely cared about the struggles they were having and the complicated feelings they were experiencing while pursuing an arts education at a predominantly white institution.
As a first within the Theatre Department at VCU, Sims taught classes in Acting, Directing, African American Theatre History, and Dramatic History and Criticism. Marvin Sims had the distinction of being the “first” teacher of color or Black teacher many of these students had ever had, particularly within the dramatic arts discipline. It was not an easy pathway to forge and yet Sims did it with grace, with patience, and with a tenacious pursuit. He laid the foundation for more inclusive casting, and curricular changes that pushed the department beyond the classic Eurocentric models of teaching and learning. And in so doing, he helped to make possible some of the changes and forward progression the theatre department has made in the years since his untimely death. Those of us who have come after Marvin Sims have been lifted onto his shoulders because of the hard work he and others like him have done. The work of continually breaking down barriers of race, identity, and classism in teaching the traditional theatre canon in the traditional ways. Which effectively means teaching beyond the Eurocentric models and traditions within the ARTS and Arts Education.
Marvin Sims was not only an educator and activist, but he was also an artist. Some of Sims’ directing credits at Theatre VCU included, 
“Thunder Knocking on the Door,” and “The Trial of the One Short-Sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae.” In his role as an activist and fierce advocate for his students, Sims founded the Theatre of Diverse Voices, a student association and performance group at Theatre VCU that recognizes and highlights the talents of culturally diverse theatre students. His legacy will never be forgotten.
To contribute to the Marvin L. Sims Memorial Scholarship Fund, please make checks payable to: “TheatreVCU Marvin Sims Memorial Scholarship Fund” send to VCU Department of Theatre, 922 Park Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2524.
