Black Lives Matter. Period.
Playbill is not a theatre or a theatre company, but we are a company that is part of the theatre community and it is time to acknowledge what has been left unsaid for too long. While Playbill and the theatre community’s history of extraordinary support for the LGBTQIA+ community has been continuous and robust, we are long overdue to declare that same level of support for the Black community and take concrete action. We must fight for the Black community. While America has given opportunity to many throughout its history, the deep-seated systemic racism that helped shape our past and present needs to be fully acknowledged and eradicated. The next step forward is the imperative task of working towards the complete dismantling of that systemic racism. As we work towards justice for Black Americans, Playbill is committed to the following:
- Recurring donations to the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP. Additionally, 10% of all sales of Playbill Merchandise & Souvenirs will go to the NAACP Freedom Fund for the month of June
- Acknowledging past errors and holding ourselves and other industry leaders accountable through our coverage and offering an open line for feedback
- To prepare ourselves for this work and create new patterns of behavior, joining @UndoingRacism for a series of anti-racist workshops
- Using our platform to amplify Black creators, performers, and workers in our industry
If you’d like to join us in taking action, consider these resources—which include donations as well as petitions if you are unable to donate:
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bail_funds_george_floyd
Directory of Black-owned businesses in New York: http://www.nycityblack.com/black-directory/
Black Visions Collective (https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/)
LGBTQ Freedom Fund (https://www.lgbtqfund.org/)
National Bail Fund (https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory)
Reclaim the Block (https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home)
Color of Change (https://colorofchange.org/)
Black Lives Matter (https://blacklivesmatter.com/)
