The We Are A.R.T./New York Letter
On July 13, 2020, the We Are A.R.T./New York coalition sent a letter to the A.R.T./New York Executive Committee and the full staff of the organization. This letter detailed just a few of the instances of racism that BIPOC have experienced at the institution, and it outlined a list of demands for how the coalition wanted A.R.T./New York leadership to address these harms and work to create a more just and equitable organization.
​
The coalition went public with the letter on July 17, 2020, and, in just a few days, received over 400 signatures on the letter from supporters and members of the nonprofit theatre community.
OUR DEMANDS
Unmet demands are listed below in yellow, and met demands are listed in white, along with a clear label that they have been met.
​
Last updated: March 7, 2021
1. The immediate removal of Ginny Louloudes.
On November 11, 2020, A.R.T./New York announced that Ginny Louloudes had stepped down from her position as Executive Director of the organization. No formal investigation into her behavior took place. Although this process does not technically fulfill our demand, this demand is moot now that Ginny is no longer affiliated with A.R.T./New York.
2. A guarantee of no retaliation—financially, verbally, or by the withholding of services and opportunities—against the current and former staff and any member theatres that come forward in support of this call to action.
On July 13, 2020, the day after the letter was sent internally, the Executive Committee assured the staff that no one would face retaliation for supporting the letter.
3. A protected line item in the organizational budget every year to continue anti-racism, equity, and inclusion work for both current employees and member companies.
As of February 27, 2022, A.R.T./New York's budget for internal and external anti-racism work has been secured, both for annual staff training and for external programming.
4. Ongoing affinity spaces for BIPOC staff and member companies.
On October 13, 2020, the first affinity space was held for BIPOC staff members of A.R.T./New York. A.R.T./New York is in the process of surveying its membership to determine if affinity spaces will actually serve them. We consider this demand met.
5. The creation of a secure, transparent, and standardized practice for reporting racism and microaggressions that does not leave staff vulnerable to abuse or require them to take care of the person causing them harm.
A.R.T./New York staff has completed an updated employee handbook that includes a policy to report and address grievances. This new handbook will be signed and approved by the board as of March 22, 2022.
6. The implementation of mandatory racial bias and anti-racism training for all board members and staff with direct reports.
A.R.T/New York staff attended a two-day anti-racism learning lab with Equity Quotient on March 4-5, 2021, and the Board is scheduled to attend a learning lab as well.
7. Finalize, approve, and update the organization’s values to explicitly state anti-racism and anti-oppression as part of A.R.T./New York’s mission.
A.R.T./New York's updated values have been finalized and posted to the organization's website.