Black lives matter.
Black lives matter.
Black lives matter.
All lives will not matter until black lives matter.
To the black artists, friends, and community members within my reach and the reach of The Skeleton Rep(resents), I see you. I care about you. You matter to me. Your voice matters to me, your body matters to me, and your ability to succeed is important to me. The Skeleton Rep would not exist without your voice and the voice of people of color. I will continue to do everything in my power to advocate for your stories by amplifying your voice. If I can use this platform to help you reach more people, please let me know. I am happy to (re)publish your letters, photos, videos and stories on our website and then share them on our social media.
To the white artists, friends, and community members, I understand that many of you feel that you don’t know what to do, or how to do it. Physically being at protests may not be for you, and that’s ok, but if you are silent because you don’t know what to say, then now is the time to educate yourself, open your mind, and realize that you have a lot of difficult, uncomfortable conversations coming your way. It is imperative that you suffer through the discomfort of dismantling your understanding and educate yourself, and then your communities. Conversations won’t kill you, no matter how uncomfortable you get. This is the beginning of your active anti-racism.
A good place to start is racism educator Jane Elliot. Take an hour out of your day, today, get on YouTube and listen intently to what she has to say. Here are two links to two interviews with her - one from a couple days ago and then a link to her appearance on Oprah in 1992. Trust me, it’s still relevant.
To the white artists, friends, and community members, I understand that many of you feel that you don’t know what to do, or how to do it. Physically being at protests may not be for you, and that’s ok, but if you are silent because you don’t know what to say, then now is the time to educate yourself, open your mind, and realize that you have a lot of difficult, uncomfortable conversations coming your way. It is imperative that you suffer through the discomfort of dismantling your understanding and educate yourself, and then your communities. Conversations won’t kill you, no matter how uncomfortable you get. This is the beginning of your active anti-racism.
A good place to start is racism educator Jane Elliot. Take an hour out of your day, today, get on YouTube and listen intently to what she has to say. Here are two links to two interviews with her - one from a couple days ago and then a link to her appearance on Oprah in 1992. Trust me, it’s still relevant.
After you’ve taken in some Jane, I recommend familiarizing yourself with these “Anti-Racism Resources.” Consider reading “The Myth of Race” by Robert Wald Sussman. Continue to educate yourself and then start to take action. This Medium post, “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice” is a good list of a variety of actions you can take.
As you and I both go through this process of opening our mind to the realities of black and brown people throughout this country, you are going to get uncomfortable. You are going to feel angry. You are not going to “understand.” These are not reasons to abandon your efforts, but rather, reasons to begin practicing overt kindness and empathy, especially towards people whose skin color does not match yours. As Jon Batiste said on Stephen Colbert this week, this country is in deep need of a “moral awakening.” White folks, we must choose the path of moral awakening in order to change our society.
As this letter comes to an end, I wish to share a quotation from John F. Kennedy, delivered on October 26, 1963 during a speech at Amherst College:
“If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential.”
For the artists and art-appreciators in my community, if your skin is white, rise up to your potential so that our black and brown brethren may rise, and so too then our nation. If you are a black artist, I can promise that there is space here at The Skeleton Rep for you. I will offer you and your narratives the same platform, resources, and care I show my white colleagues. I will admit when I am wrong. I will listen, amplify, and advocate. We as artists must still create in the face of devastation - it is how we as a nation make sure that we still have a soul on the other side.
Thank you for taking the time to read my missive. White folks, if you have questions, reach out. I am happy to start you off on your uncomfortable conversations. Black and brown community members, I am here for you and ready. I know that in order to be true to my mission, to explore modern myth, I must be true to you.
As you and I both go through this process of opening our mind to the realities of black and brown people throughout this country, you are going to get uncomfortable. You are going to feel angry. You are not going to “understand.” These are not reasons to abandon your efforts, but rather, reasons to begin practicing overt kindness and empathy, especially towards people whose skin color does not match yours. As Jon Batiste said on Stephen Colbert this week, this country is in deep need of a “moral awakening.” White folks, we must choose the path of moral awakening in order to change our society.
As this letter comes to an end, I wish to share a quotation from John F. Kennedy, delivered on October 26, 1963 during a speech at Amherst College:
“If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential.”
For the artists and art-appreciators in my community, if your skin is white, rise up to your potential so that our black and brown brethren may rise, and so too then our nation. If you are a black artist, I can promise that there is space here at The Skeleton Rep for you. I will offer you and your narratives the same platform, resources, and care I show my white colleagues. I will admit when I am wrong. I will listen, amplify, and advocate. We as artists must still create in the face of devastation - it is how we as a nation make sure that we still have a soul on the other side.
Thank you for taking the time to read my missive. White folks, if you have questions, reach out. I am happy to start you off on your uncomfortable conversations. Black and brown community members, I am here for you and ready. I know that in order to be true to my mission, to explore modern myth, I must be true to you.
With love, kindness, compassion, and hunger,
Ria T. DiLullo
Artistic Director of The Skeleton Rep(resents)
Ria T. DiLullo
Artistic Director of The Skeleton Rep(resents)
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