Black Lives Matter

We, as faculty and staff of the Theater and Dance Department at Bowdoin College, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We share in the grief and outrage over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black lives at the hands of the police, as well as the persistent criminalization of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.

We are dedicated to embodied practice. As such, we commit in heart, mind, and body to the following:

We will integrate anti-racist pedagogy into our course offerings and our teaching methods
We will increase inclusion, equity, and representation within the studio and classroom
We will further diversify our course offerings, materials, and guest artist invitations, especially with regards to race, gender, sexuality, class, nationality, and power inequities.
We will continue to raise up the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other artists of color in our public programming.
We will analyze the impact of our work in the classroom and onstage in dismantling systemic racism

The work of understanding the system and culture of white supremacy that perpetuates and reinforces racial injustice is ongoing. We promise to do that work in order to challenge the various ways these forces show up in the performing arts. We understand that the stories we tell and the choreographies of bodies we put onstage have real-world implications that, at worst, cause harm. But, at best, our practices can critique and challenge the status quo, elevate and amplify marginalized voices, and mobilize us collectively toward a more equitable and just future. We are invested in doing this work, and committed to our disciplines' roles in making this future possible.

James Alexander, Aretha Aoki, Nicole Boudle, Germán Cárdenas-Alaminos, Gregg Carville, Judy Gailen, Adanna Jones, Gwyneth Jones, Abigail Killeen, Callie Kimball, Lindsay Livingston, Lillian Prentice, Deborah Puhl, Davis Robinson, Anita Stewart, Sally Wood

June 10, 2020