Our Commitment to Anti-Racism

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Tony McDade. Philando Castille. Eric Garner. Michael Brown. Emmett Till. Tamir Rice. Botham Jean. Trayvon Martin. Alton Sterling. 

Here at People’s Theatre Project, we say their names—grieving the losses of these lives and countless others, as well as lamenting the gross injustices and inequities experienced daily by Black communities in our nation. And now we say: Enough. 

People’s Theatre Project stands with the #BlackLivesMatter protesters across the country: 

Black Lives are Beautiful. Black Lives are Powerful. Black Lives Matter.

As an immigrant-led organization, we are committed to live and work as anti-racists, to build our organization on anti-racist principles, and to raise our voices in support of our Black brothers and sisters. We denounce the white supremacist institutions and systems that have dehumanized Black people in this country for over 400 years. We condemn the brutality wielded by a violent justice system and unite in action to change our country. Now. 

Our country was founded on racism. It is baked into our systems of justice, education, healthcare, culture, nonprofit work, and every system that touches us as individuals and communities. We recognize that the work of fighting for change has historically and disproportionately fallen on the shoulders of Black leaders and community members. We recognize that we must stand with them and that this work is continuous and ongoing. 

At People’s Theatre Project, guided by our value of Equity, we currently:
  • Require all administrative, education, and artistic staff to complete the Undoing Racism Community Workshop through the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
  • Are guided by a board that is 80% POC
  • Are operated by a staff that is 78% POC, led by an executive director who is a Dominican immigrant woman of color
  • Co-create all educational and artistic work in diverse community, centering the voices of immigrants and POC of different ages and abilities
  • Provide an intentional, brave space that centers our Black and Brown hermanos y hermanas as resilient, powerful artists and leaders and celebrates their inherent beauty and creativity.

There is much work ahead, and we acknowledge our participation in nonprofit and educational systems that uphold and perpetrate oppression. We acknowledge our struggle to engage our community in conversations around colorism, light-skinned privilege, and LGBTQ+ rights within communities of color. We acknowledge that we fail to see all the ways we are complicit in upholding white supremacy.

In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and in honor of our own humanity, we commit:
  • To extending our mandate of anti-racism training to include our Board of Directors
  • To improve our hiring practices and do the work to attract more Afro-Latino artists and administrators
  • To building coalitions with other organizations who share our values and challenging systemic racism where and when it manifests
  • To creating art in coordination with anti-racist organizations and movements 

We cannot do this work alone. We encourage you to reflect on how you too can show up. Here are some suggested resources, and ways to get involved:   

Listen & Learn:
Act For Your Community:

Together with you, we will build a more equitable, brave, joyful world. 

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