‘We are here to ensure that we never feel unsafe again, that voices are heard, grievances are collected, and sureties are met with actionable reform. This is for us."

BLKLST MANIFESTO

MANIFESTO

The BLKLST was created by Black, Brown and allied theatremakers and storytellers. We came together for the advancement and security of those creating theatre in the greater Los Angeles area. We are here to ensure the intellectual property, emotional wellness, and bodily health of BIPOC people and other marginalized creators are protected. In our service to our community, we will try to ensure that our theatre industry no longer overlooks instances of discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, religious practices, classism, ableism, and ageism. Gone are the days of sharing our stories, our sweat, tears, and hard work, without reciprocal respect and acknowledgment. We are here to ensure that we never feel unsafe again, that voices are heard, grievances are collected, and sureties are met with actionable reform. This is for us. 

The summer of 2020 brought a new call for change across all areas of our society. The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor (SAY THEIR NAMES) combined with the long legacy of BIPOC lives violently taken by the police, the United States, as a whole, was made to focus on the many injustices brought on by white supremacist ideals and the systems put in place that serve to maintain an inequitable hierarchy. As this national zeitgeist pierced every industry, a magnifying glass was put on the theatre industry. Marginalized theatremakers demanded an end to the long standing racist practices and discrimination that still plagues our arts administration, casting practices, hiring practices, lack of board equity, content programming, and education departments. As this organization is made up of primarily BIPOC theatremakers, we are more than familiar with this culture of discrimination and exploitation, and we seek to abolish the oppressive systems that sustain it. In its place, we look to aid in the creation of a culture of anti-racism and accountability by providing an actionable method for accountability, accountability being foundational to the commitment to true equity.

After the call to action, many theatres were vocal about supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and admitting to the need for change within their own institutions. As BIPOC creatives, we became weary with the idea of new promises, as we are used to performative allyship being enacted by those we call friends/employers/collaborators. We are all too familiar with the acknowledgment of the need for change, the formations of EDI committees, only for the work to stop there. And with that, stagnation; and end to the conversation. These hollow promises will no longer stand. As BIPOC creatives, we believe in order to continue a working relationship with these various theatre institutions, standards have to be implemented consistently and with fervor. Transparency is the foundation of anti-racist work. Holding these institutions accountable to the highest standards of operation is the main practice BLKLST will be enacting. Appeasing agreements can no longer stand and in their place must be an adherence and agreement to fervent actions of change by those looking to abolish this archaic way of operating. 

We acknowledge our role in this legacy work and would not be here were it not for the tireless work of activists, writers, innovators, and philosophers. Without the work of James Baldwin, Ed Bullins, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Victor Hugo Green and countless others, we would not be here speaking up for the injustices that still stand.