This was a great read. As we witness protests and riots across the world, black and other minority artists are condemning the theater and broader entertainment industry for enabling and fostering systemic racism. The “We See You” letter is a must read and also enclosed in this article. The letter lays out the numerous obstacles people of color face, whether they be actors, playwrights, staff, or executives.
Here is an excerpt from the letter:
“Dear White American Theater,
We come together as a community of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) theatremakers, in the legacy of August Wilson’s “The Ground on Which I Stand,” to let you know exactly what ground we stand on in the wake of our nation’s civic unrest.
We see you. We have always seen you. We have watched you pretend not to see us.
We have watched you un-challenge your white privilege, inviting us to traffic in the very racism and patriarchy that festers in our bodies, while we protest against it on your stages. We see you....”