Black Lives Matter.
Every single one is precious. We see you and we are listening. We join you in admonishing the violence against and grieving the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the innumerable others who have lost their lives due to the color of their skin. We stand with the protestors and against the continued discrimination and violence being perpetrated against Black lives and communities of color. In this, we want to leave no room for doubt that we stand with the Black community. Silence is Complicity. We were silent for too long and should have spoken sooner. That failure to act is on us and we are deeply sorry. We will do better.
Like all the other theatres in the world, we have been mourning our loss of voice and performances due to COVID 19, and wishing that things would get back to normal. Unfortunately, normal for many people means living with injustice, white supremacy and rampant institutional racism. Now, we have been given a much bigger and more important opportunity to use our skills and compassion developed in the theatre. This urgent movement to end police brutality and dismantle institutional racism is here, and it has a role for all of us.
To this end, we will be sharing opportunities for all of us to get involved, through donating, demonstrating, volunteering and learning. First, we would like to share the list of resources compiled by Playbill. We also ask that everyone refer to the Black Lives Matter website for up to date information. Links to both are included below. We will continue to post on social media other positive ways to act in support of our Black brothers and sisters. If you would like to share your feelings, thoughts, or resources with us, please email us at pr@katonline.org.
There is a saying in the theatre: If we change one person’s heart or mind, we’ve done our job. If we each commit to do one thing each day, we can have a huge impact.
Black Lives Matter.
Kensington Arts Theatre
https://www.playbill.com/article/black-lives-matter-resources-101
blacklivesmatter.com