Black Artist Coalition begins in the DMV

Announced today, the Black Artist Coalition (BAC) has formed in response to the increasing awareness of both macro- and microaggressions that have more often than not tainted Black artists’ experience in the performing arts industry for centuries. The Black Artist Coalition Board is a collective of performers, designers, administrators, and arts supporters.

“There is a quieted disconnect between the Black Artist and the institutions where Black artistry is employed,” said Kevin Stephen McAllister, Founding Member. “Whether it’s lacking awareness or excluding with intention, the Theater has profited from the Black Artist for years but never yielded an equal seat at the table. Directors, administrators, and creatives of Black artistry are too often not Black.”

The BAC will be reaching out to theaters to offer their voices and services toward building a safer, more transparent, and more equitable community between Black arts professionals and theater organizations. Specifically, the BAC plans to serve as a consultant in regards to:

• Hiring talent and staff of diverse demographics
• Advocating for Black employees and artists who don’t feel empowered to do so for themselves
• Establishing an environment of inclusion and representation

The BAC hopes to work with theater organizations to effectively change the impacts of this reality. “In most instances, we are proud of the work we have put on DMV stages,” said Tobias A. Young, Founding Member. “We have given these theaters our best, and now, we want to come together for a moment to establish how theaters might do the same for us.”

The coalition’s first visual project is this video, “The Black Artist Coalition: The Introduction,” which is being shared across social media channels.

EXECUTIVE BOARD
Kevin Stephen McAllister – Event Planning Lead
Vaughn Ryan Midder – Communications Lead
Sean-Maurice Lynch – Research & Development Lead
Nova Payton – Accountability Lead
Tobias A. Young – Publicity & Community Engagement Lead

BOARD
Temidayo Amay
Ian Anthony Coleman
Charles A. Coward
Char Manlove-Laws
Stacy King-Nesby
Natalie Graves Tucker
Danielle Turnipseed
Roz White

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #BlackArtistCoalition
Twitter: /TheBlackArtist3
Facebook: /TheBlackArtistCoalition
Instagram: /TheBlackArtistCoalition
YouTube: /TheBlackArtistCoalition

Artists who have questions about the BAC should email [email protected].

ABOUT THE BLACK ARTIST COALITION
The Black Artist Coalition is an assembly of DMV artists and advocates from the Black community who are committed to regionally improving the status of Black actors, theater art administrators, theater designers, and stage directors by adopting and enacting racial, cultural, and ethnic policies that are equitable; advocating for language and stories of inclusivity; representing the collective mindset of the organization; and by offering support to Black artists to hold accountable and dismantle biased practices within regional and local arts organizations.