Do Not Look Away.
Over the course of the last few weeks we have watched all too familiar stories unfold; stories of brutal atrocities directed at Black men and women in our country. We wish we could say that we are surprised, but the truth is: we aren't. The senseless and violent murders of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and of George Floyd in Minnesota are only three of the thousands of murders of innocent Black men, women, and children in the bloody history of our nation.
The violence directed at the Black community and the subsequent anti-racist protests across the country, including protests in Boulder and Denver, are the result of hundreds of years racism and discrimination lurking within nearly all facets of our culture. This racism is systemic and institutional, designed to discriminate in ways that many of us remain ignorant of, because our relative privilege allows us to blissfully maintain a dangerous and irresponsible lack of awareness.
We (white people) have to wake up. We have to do better. Because Black Lives Matter.
So I am writing to ask my fellow white Americans, both within and beyond my immediate community, please: DO NOT LOOK AWAY. Even if it makes you uncomfortable. Or rather when it makes you uncomfortable, because these realities, these conversations we must have, will inevitably make us uncomfortable. It will not be as uncomfortable as fearing for your own life and those of your loved ones every single day, which is the stark reality faced by those in the Black community. I truly believe that our discomfort, felt and explored in the desire to do better, to be better, is a very small price to pay.
We at square product theatre stand in solidarity and rage with the Black community. We commit ourselves to helping put an end to the senseless murder and harassment of Black men, women, and children by calling for more accountability in law enforcement and our systems of justice. We commit ourselves to contacting our elected officials to demand reform. And we commit ourselves to working within our community to dismantle systemic racism. We hope you'll join us.
#BlackLivesMatter #SayTheirNames
Emily K. Harrison, PhD, MFA
she/her/hers
Producing Artistic Director
square product theatre
Boulder, Colorado
Traditional Territories of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations
Want to know what you can do to help? Please click HERE for a list of resources.