Dear Members of LMDA (and others in our community), 

We are writing to publicly condemn and grieve the police brutality (and overall racism) that continues to plague the U.S. and particularly targets marginalized groups and other vulnerable communities. What has happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many African Americans is everyone’s responsibility to help prevent. It is no longer sufficient to stand on the sidelines as others suffer; we must commit to anti-racist action. As long as extra-judicial actions are taken against people, there is no real justice. 

Along with other theatre groups and leaders in our field who have spoken out, we stand with communities of color in the U.S. and desire to take action to address injustice. In addition, we will continue our work to more deeply examine where white supremacy, racism, and inequality exist in our own organization and the organizations we interact with as literary managers and dramaturgs.

As we navigate these dangerous times, let’s remind ourselves that dramaturgs and literary managers are good at providing resources and paths for action.

If you are not sure how to help, here are some ideas:

• Amnesty International’s Guidelines for Staying Safe and Healthy During Public Demonstrations
• Beyond the Streets: 26 Ways to be in the Struggle
• Support George Floyd's family directly through their GoFundMe.
• Support of the GoFundMe created for Darnella Frazier, the person who filmed the police encounter with George Floyd and brought this situation to the public’s attention. 
• Donate to Black Visions Collective, organizing for Black and collective liberation.
• Donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund to support bail for any arrests. 
• Support MIGIZI.org for the development of Native American youth.
• Donate to Black Lives Matter. Or, get involved with your local BLM chapter. The full list is here. Or start your own. More info here.
• Donate to a bail fund. Some Twitter users are crowd-sourcing lists of local organizations that help bail out protesters who get arrested. Thread here.
• Support the National Police Accountability Project: This group, a project of the National Lawyers Guild, was created as a non-profit to protect the human and civil rights of individuals in their encounters with law enforcement and detention facility personnel. More info here.
• Support Campaign Zero, a police reform group that has been working on policy solutions “informed by data and human rights principles.” More info here.
• Attend anti-racism and anti-oppression events in your area. 
• Read, learn and share knowledge: This List is Anti-Racist. 

If you have other ideas, feel free to email us.

When we figure out the ways in which we are complicit in allowing these systems to pervade and persist, we can activate ourselves to work against these structures in our own lives, in our workplaces, in our artistic practices, and in our communities. These events do not occur in isolation, and to treat them as such allows these tragedies and systems to continue.

To our members and colleagues in other countries, we hope you will join the U.S. members in lending your time, voice, and efforts in any way that feels appropriate to you.

In Solidarity, 

LMDA Leadership