Dear TAM Artists, Patrons, and Donors,

We at TAM stand “cheek by jowl” with all on the front lines of the fight to be seen and heard. We bear witness to the personal and national trauma sparked by the racism and hatred that has consumed our nation for too many generations. It is time for us to be the change; it is time for us to step up and support friends, neighbors, and communities of color. It is time for us to do better. While we honor the lives lost to violence—Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, we also remember the many whose lives were cut short before them.

While we cannot come together at this time to process, plan for change, and help our communities heal, we can take this time to look deep into our actions, the actions of those we love, and the actions of our communities. As we emerge from our covid-19 seclusion, we can look with fresh eyes at the world around us and the ways we can make it better—not for ourselves alone but for the good of the greater community.

As theater-makers, we use the power of the arts to bring solace during times of tragedy and laughter to bring hope. But words are no longer enough—we must all find ways to act, to support, to openly grieve the losses and injustice, and stand up to racism.

For white and white-adjacent allies looking for ways to address their own racism and to support those systemically oppressed by institutionalized racism in our communities, this link offers steps to engage in racial justice:

https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

Dawn McAndrews,
Producing Artistic Director