05/06/2020
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and so many others in the Black community have opened the door for long overdue conversations in our culture about systemic racism, social justice, and what each of us can do to create a more just world. These conversations, as difficult as they may be, are crucial to begin to address and take ownership of historic injustices that have for centuries cause pain and suffering in the Black community. We stand with all those marching and fighting for justice. We must all do better.
Our mission has always been to help teens find and amplify their unique voices. We recognize that we are two, white men of privilege and with that comes the responsibility to reflect inward and ask ourselves how we can address and combat the systemic racism inherent in our society. All too often the work and stories of Black artists have been under recognized and under valued; it is a goal and tenet of this program that we build a community that elevates, encourages, and celebrates the work of Black artists.
This work feels especially important right now to ensure that Black families and students feel equally at home in our programs as their white counterparts.
We stand ready to have these conversations about racial equity and justice and how we can do better in our workshops. This starts with growing our efforts to recruit diverse teens for our workshops, hear their stories, and help them to share those stories.
If you have ideas for how we can be better allies or achieve these goals, and others, more effectively, please don’t hesitate to reach out.