Art as Activism on Broadway: Meet the Trailblazers Behind Black Women on Broadway
Black Women on Broadway was founded in 2020 by Danielle Brooks, Amber Iman, and Jocelyn Bioh.
Art as Activism on Broadway is a recurring series exploring how theater can move beyond entertainment to serve as a catalyst for social change, advocacy, and cultural dialogue.
At a time when stories are being challenged, erased, and reimagined in real time, the communities most impacted are often cared for the least, with few industry spaces designed specifically for their support. In 2020, three powerhouse theater artists and Tony Award nominees, Amber Iman, Jocelyn Bioh, and Danielle Brooks, set out to change that.
What began as a desire to celebrate Black women working in theater has grown into Black Women on Broadway (BWOB), a thriving community dedicated to mentorship, recognition, wellness, and professional development for Black women working both onstage and behind the scenes.
"Broadway artists work harder than everyone, full stop," says Iman. "Eight shows a week with one day off. We are severely underpaid and tremendously overworked. We aren't celebrated until we transition to television or film, which is beyond shameful. We wanted to find a way to celebrate us now, unapologetically."
That celebration extends beyond performers. While audiences often recognize actors, BWOB intentionally honors the countless Black women whose work sustains the industry behind the curtain.
"On-stage talent gets all the credit while the designers, casting directors, wardrobe supervisors, house managers, and everyone who builds and maintains the show are forgotten," Iman explains.
Over the past five years, Black Women on Broadway has evolved from a celebratory gathering into a year-round ecosystem of support for Black women working throughout the theater industry. Beyond its awards, BWOB has created programming that nurtures artists at every stage of their careers. Educational offerings have included Producing 101, Mastering the Self-Tape, Money Talks financial literacy conversations, and the popular Not-So-Masterclass series featuring candid discussions with industry leaders. A recent installment led by Jocelyn Bioh offered aspiring writers insight into crafting stories for film, television, and theater while navigating a career as a multi-hyphenate creative.
The organization is equally committed to investing in the next generation of storytellers. The Century Cycle Continues Monologue Competition, inspired by the work and legacy of August Wilson, challenges young artists to keep Black American storytelling alive through performances of both classic and contemporary works. Through programs like these, BWOB extends its impact far beyond a single evening of celebration, creating pathways for education, mentorship, artistic development, and community building throughout the year.
To stay connected to the ever-growing community of Black women working on and off Broadway, BWOB developed the "BWOB Show Tracker List," an ongoing effort to document performers, producers, writers, directors, designers, casting professionals, stage managers, administrators, and other theatermakers throughout the industry. Maintained year-round, the list has grown to include more than 600 Black women in 2026 alone. More than a database, it serves as a living record of Black women's contributions to the American theater landscape and ensures their work is seen, celebrated, and remembered.
"The things Jocelyn does with an Excel spreadsheet are miraculous," Iman laughs. "Every single week and every single month we're tracking Black women working across the industry."
Yet it is the Annual awards celebration that has become the organization's signature event. What began as an evening of recognition has transformed into one of the most anticipated gatherings of the Broadway season. For many Black women working on and off Broadway, receiving a BWOB Award has become a meaningful acknowledgment from peers who understand both the excellence and the challenges required to sustain a career in the industry.
This year's fifth annual Black Women on Broadway Awards, held on June 1 at Pier59 Studios in New York City, was a masterclass in what it looks like when celebration becomes care. The floral-adorned venue was filled with more than 250 Black women representing every corner of the Broadway landscape, including performers, producers, directors, writers, designers, casting professionals, stage managers, administrators, executives, and entrepreneurs.
Pier59's floor-to-ceiling windows offered sweeping views of the city, but as the evening unfolded, the light and energy inside the room became its own reflection. Everywhere you looked, Black women were embracing one another, exchanging introductions, celebrating milestones, and affirming each other's work. The atmosphere felt like a collective exhale. For one evening, Black women across the Broadway community could step away from the demands of the industry and simply enjoy being in a room where they were fully seen and understood.
A string quartet and DJ Ari Grooves kept the music flowing throughout the evening, while Seven Daughters Wine and specialty cocktails named in honor of the evening's award recipients helped set the celebratory tone. Thoughtful details were woven throughout the space, including photos of current Broadway productions adorning the tables. Every element felt intentional and centered on making attendees feel seen, celebrated, and valued.
Unlike traditional industry events where attention is reserved for a select few, every attendee was invited to step onto the red carpet and have their photograph taken. It was a subtle but powerful reminder that everyone in the room belonged there and that every contribution to the industry mattered.
That spirit carried into the awards presentation itself. As honorees were announced, they made their way down a runway-style walkway to receive their flowers, and accept the recognition of their peers. The moment felt ceremonial in the best way. Each walk was a public acknowledgment of years of dedication to the art of theatre. The audience cheered not only for accomplishments but for the journeys that made those accomplishments possible.
I first attended the awards in 2023, and witnessing the organization's growth firsthand still gives me chills. The first ceremony I attended felt intimate and familial, a small but powerful gathering where Black women across the industry could come together to celebrate one another. Three years later, the fifth annual awards welcomed more than 250 Black women working on and off Broadway. Looking around the room, it was impossible not to recognize that BWOB had grown from an event into a movement.
The awards themselves have become coveted honors within the theater community, recognizing excellence across every facet of the industry. Past honorees have included LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Khalia Wilcoxon, LaChanze, Dede Ayite, Kara Young, Qween Jean, Nikiya Mathis, and Lynn Nottage. The 2026 honorees included Tony-nominated director Whitney White, Tony Award-winning producer Debra Martin Chase, actress Alana Raquel Bowers, and Destiny Casting President Destiny Lilly.
Named after industry giants, the awards celebrate Black women whose artistry, leadership, and impact continue to shape and shift the industry. The Florence Mills Shining Star Award honors a Black woman performer whose hard work, artistry, and rising visibility reflect the legacy of the legendary Florence Mills. The Audra McDonald Legacy Award recognizes a Black woman whose contributions, excellence, and achievements in theater continue to have a dynamic impact on the industry and inspire future generations. The Kathy Perkins Behind the Curtain Award celebrates a Black woman whose work backstage shines brightest onstage, recognizing the often-unsung artists, administrators, and creative leaders whose contributions help bring theatrical productions to life.
This year's celebration was supported by partners including Seven Daughters Wine, Topicals, EltaMD Skincare, Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, Ouidad, Saie Beauty, Ursa Major Skincare, Uber, WANTED: The Legend of the Sisters Clarke, and additional supporters who contributed to the event experience. Their generosity helped create the now highly anticipated BWOB swag bags, which have become a signature feature of the awards and a tangible reminder that Black women deserve to be poured into as much as they pour into the industry.
The organization's annual awards ceremony prioritizes something often missing in the entertainment industry: rest, joy, and community. Unlike many industry events, attendees are not expected to perform.
"We wanted to find a way to allow Black women to show up dressed in their finest, and their only responsibility is to sip, celebrate, and party," says Iman. "There are no performances. Everybody is at rest. Just food, fellowship, and a swag bag curated for wellness and joy."
I arrived this year excited to celebrate the accomplishments of my peers and left feeling something even more valuable: warm, affirmed, joyful, and reenergized. The evening shifted my momentum for the remainder of the year. In a profession that often demands constant output, competition, and resilience, BWOB offers something revolutionary: a moment to pause and take inventory of how far we've come.
That feeling is precisely why Black Women on Broadway belongs in a conversation about activism. Activism is not only protest and policy. It is also preservation. It is creating spaces where people can be seen, valued, restored, and reminded that they do not have to carry the weight of an industry alone. This annual community check-in and celebration helps sustain the work by sustaining the people doing it. In caring for Black women theatermakers, BWOB is helping ensure they remain healthy enough, inspired enough, and connected enough to continue shaping the future of American theater.
Reaching five years has required tremendous commitment from the organization's founders, who continue to operate BWOB without staff.
"BWOB is just Dani, Jocelyn, and me," says Iman. "That's it. We don't have staff or anyone to help us because we can't afford it yet. But we've taken it upon ourselves to set goals and check them off."
From fundraising and event planning to maintaining storage units, printing materials, and managing programming, the founders have built the organization through persistence and purpose.
"I am most proud of our resilience," says Iman. "We've worked incredibly hard and come so far."
The greatest challenge remains funding. BWOB intentionally keeps its programming free, ensuring accessibility for the community it serves. However, that commitment comes at a cost.
"We have so many ideas and they all take money," Iman says. "My dream is to secure wonderful corporate sponsors to lift the financial burden off our shoulders and allow us to create."
Looking ahead, BWOB's vision is expansive. The annual awards have become a cornerstone of the Broadway community, but for Iman, they are only the beginning. She hopes to increase funding to expand scholarship opportunities, digital roundtables, readings, and professional development initiatives. Her ultimate dream is a Black Women on Broadway Festival in New York City.
"A three-day weekend of classes, workshops, readings, vendors, fellowship, health and wellness programming, financial literacy, producing, writing, everything Black women need to continue creating theater and living well," she says.
Beyond programming, Iman hopes to see broader structural change throughout the industry.
"I'm tired of all the diversity being on stage," she says. "I want more women and more Black and Brown people in positions of power from the top down. I want us green-lighting projects, funding projects, producing, directing, casting, managing, all of it."
Oprah Winfrey once said, "Where there is no struggle, there is no strength." The strength demonstrated by Amber, Danielle, and Jocelyn over the past five years is immeasurable. While simultaneously maintaining thriving careers as artists they have built and sustained an organization that pours into hundreds of Black women working throughout the theater industry. Their labor is often unseen, but its impact is undeniable.
Community is not built by passion alone. It requires investment. If this work resonates with you, consider supporting Black Women on Broadway. The strength that the founders have gained through struggle has already transformed the lives and careers of countless women. With greater support, that strength can be redirected from carrying the load alone to building an even stronger foundation for the generations of Black theatermakers still to come.
In an industry built on relentless labor, Black Women on Broadway continues to create something increasingly rare: a space where Black women are seen, celebrated, invested in, and given permission to rest. More importantly, it is creating a blueprint for what happens when community becomes infrastructure. When recognition, mentorship, wellness, and opportunity are not afterthoughts, but the foundation itself.
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