The faculty and staff of the Department of Theatre at VCUarts unequivocally condemn all forms of bigotry, racism, and anti-Blackness.
We recognize that the history of theatre and performance in the United States is inextricably linked with white supremacy, and we undertake to dedicate ourselves and our department to dismantling the racist structures within theatre education that have enabled the perpetuation of bigoted, racist, and anti-Black systems within theatrical institutions.
We are committed as a department to developing an anti-racist curriculum and production season, and we pledge as individuals to engage in concrete anti-racist work on both a personal level and in our work as educators, artists, and scholars in order to promote real and lasting change.
We are determined to support all our students by mindfully creating a culture of both safety and accountability within our department where BIPOC students feel seen and all our students feel valued. We seek to include, reflect, and give agency to the varied experiences of our community being mindful of the historically marginalized AAPI, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and ADA communities.
We devote ourselves and the resources of our department to eliminating bias, discrimination, and racism from our curriculum, our training, our classes, and our productions.
—VCUarts Theatre Faculty & Staff