When we began gathering testimonies to call for change in the summer of 2020, the current and former staff members who created this Coalition were hurting. The letter released less than two years ago was a calling out of oppressive behavior and a calling in for the board of directors to protect the staff of A.R.T./New York and, by extension, the members of the community.
The transformation we have seen cannot be understated. The lives of A.R.T./New York staff today have improved dramatically and in ways that go beyond the Coalition’s initial demands. Per our first demand, no member of the Coalition was met with retaliation or reprimand for coming forward. While our process included missteps, A.R.T./New York leadership quickly came to appreciate and include the Coalition as its own unique voice in conversations about the future of the organization we shared. We created new systems of collaboration between the board and staff to prevent such extreme need for urgent change in the future:
Regular, quarterly board meetings have become a space for all staff and board to participate
The creation of both Staff and Board Ethics and Accountability Committees has made the change of policies and procedures a democratic process in which the full staff shares equal power
As stated in our demands, recurring White Learning and BIPOC Affinity Spaces shared by staff and board members are held to foster care, support, and accountability
The staff and board are working together to define and hire new, more permanent leadership based on a shared power structure that suits the needs of the full A.R.T./New York community
Pay parity has been achieved among A.R.T./New York staff
The organization’s budget has become accessible to all staff and multiple training sessions are being held to help staff better understand - and shape - the budget
When our great transition first began, those with power and those without had two different definitions of what “transparent and collaborative” meant. It was only by making our shared understanding an organization priority that we were able to affect as much change as we have in the past two years. The continued work of the Coalition above and beyond the paid labor of current staff helped pull resources, create agendas, and propose new avenues for healing and growth. The positive changes at A.R.T./New York could not have happened without the unpaid labor of BIPOC current and former staff and their allies.
We, the Coalition, want to set A.R.T./New York up as an institution that is progressive, nimble, abundant, and representative of the ENTIRE field. The ultimate shared goal is to establish a flexible and equitable power structure and work environment that applies transparency and collaboration to every aspect of how A.R.T./New York operates. There is still more work to be done. While challenging - and at times even painful - as healing often is, this work is essential and will only continue with the full commitment and support of our community.
As individuals, we assume our roles in this work daily. As the labor of change has become central to our jobs as employees of A.R.T./New York, we will pull back from acting under the title of the We Are A.R.T./New York Coalition. We will continue to remain transparent and accountable in our work, and relentless in our pursuit of justice and growth. We are grateful to everyone that has shown up in support of this Coalition and each individual that has committed to creating a safer, more innovative A.R.T./New York. You can read the updated list of demands shared with our board and staff for the continuation of this work here.
Our final demand is that each member of this community remain vigilant and continue to hold each other accountable.
In Solidarity,
We Are A.R.T./New York
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