The Broadway Advocacy Coalition to Present WHAT NOW PART II: FROM ALLY TO ACTION

The Broadway Advocacy Coalition will present a follow-up to its June 2020 #BwayforBLM Forum and its February 2021 "What Now" forum. WHAT NOW PART II: FROM ALLY TO ACTION will take place on Tuesday, June 29, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET.

Join BAC as they gather for an open dialogue with white industry leaders on how white supremacy can threaten the capacity of white allies to sustain the work of anti-racism and equity, dig into specific ways that white supremacy shows up, and learn practical tips for how to replace these habits.

For more than a year, people from all across the theater industry have been organizing to ensure that everyone can re-enter a field that is more inclusive, more equitable, and actively working to purge itself of racism. This forum will ask the industry to reconvene as a community and check in on the work that has been done, the work that is ongoing, and the progress of almost 8,000 white industry members who signed the Public Accountability Pledge in 2020.

"It's time to come together once again to take account of all of the work done in the past year, understand the work ahead, and challenge ourselves to do more. We must get out of our private silos and start working together to ensure that this is not just a moment of checking boxes but a movement towards long-lasting change," said BAC Director of Industry Initiatives Zhailon Levingston.

As BAC explores what it takes to move "From Ally to Action," the forum will also unpack the characteristics of "White Supremacy Culture," the ways it often show up in the theater industry, and how those ways can be addressed in order to ensure that this change is sustainable and enduring.

"Replacing the habits of white supremacy culture and building a life-long habit of anti-racism requires active and continuous practice. It must be built into our muscle memory," said BAC Associate Director of Curriculum and Industry Initiatives Leia Squillace. "Just as working out is easier to maintain when surrounded by others actively engaged in exercise, we must all come together to ensure we all remain accountable to this work. We must build a stronger white ally community that supports itself so that it can better serve people of color."

While all interested in this work may join this conversation, BAC is particularly asking those that signed the pledge and others that consider themselves allies to Black people, to show up and attend the "What Now?" Part II forum.

To RSVP please visit the registration page here or visit BwayForBLM.com.