Dr. Amara Enyia and Temi F. Bennett’s recent piece in Nonprofit Quarterly magazine, “The Case for Reparations in Philanthropy,” highlights the efforts of organizations like the Decolonizing Wealth Project to advocate and develop practices of redistributing wealth and building an Indigenous and Black-led philanthropic infrastructure. Bennett commented, “We are attempting to address the ‘glass house’ in which the philanthropic sector resides. We believe reparations are due because the United States has benefitted from uncompensated Black genius and labor since its founding.”
Tema Okun’s widely cited interrogation of white supremacy culture encourages us to consider power differences, avoid fear-based decision-making, and lean into our impulse to collaborate and act collectively.
Michael Bobbitt’s 2021 American Theatre magazine essay, “Boards are Broken, So Let’s Break and Remake Them,” offers alternative models and practices for governance.
I sometimes hear board members say that their theatre company is not a social justice organization, so therefore has no role in activist work. I would counter that one of the most political choices a theatre can make is who gets to tell their stories—and who does not. The personal is political.
For BIPOC, this work is not a luxury or a professional interest. It is part of the fight for our own liberation. Black women, in particular, have often been at the forefront of social movements. I have long been inspired by the activism of Fannie Lou Hamer, Angela Davis, and Tamika Mallory, who have shown that revolutionary change is possible when people are organized and unified in a struggle for justice. The theatre would do well to look to their legacy for inspiration in a collective effort to make real and lasting change in our industry.
Jocelyn Prince (she/her) is the owner and principal at ALJP Consulting.
