Dear Listen Up Friends:
All of us at the Listen Up Project are horrified and outraged in response to the recent murders of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
We also know that these are not isolated incidents and that thousands of Black People, Indigenous People, and People of Color are killed every year by police violence and white supremacy. We know that this history of systemic racism and white supremacy upon which our country was founded must end.
We stand in solidarity with the black, brown and indigenous people all over Vermont who are impacted every single day, by the racism that exists in Vermont and nationwide.
We, as a staff, are committed to amplifying the voices of BIPOC young people in Vermont.
We are committed to creating spaces for their stories to be told and audiences to listen. We are committed to stand in solidarity with these young people and to take our cues from them around how we stem the tide of racism.
We are also committed to continuing the internal work as a staff and a collection of artists and activists, to work together to question our own biases, to address the roots of white supremacy in ourselves and on our team, and to be vigilant about the ways that race and racism show up in our work and in this project.
And, as a collection of artists, we invite you to look to artists of color who are, and have been telling their stories.
We invite you to take the time to sit, reflect and take in the brilliant, heartbreaking, stirring and divine production of Alvin Ailey’s: Revelations. A special Lincoln Center production of Revelations is currently available to watch
As artists, we know that the power of dance, theatre, music, and poetry can transform and transport us to another realm of understanding. Art has the power to help us reimagine what is possible. We ask you to take the time to watch the brilliant choreography, artistic genius and compassion that resonates in Revelations.
