Anti-racism & Accountability

From the Staff & Board of Seven Devils New Play Foundry

STOP ASIAN HATE

On March 16, 2021, eight people, including six Asian women, were murdered at three different spas in Georgia: Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, Soon C. Park, Hyun J. Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong A. Yue. We honor the memories of these individuals and offer our condolences to their families and loved ones. 

Stop AAPI Hate tracks reports of violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have received reports of nearly 3,800 hate incidents across the United States; however, that number is very likely far lower than the actual number of incidents that happen.

This recent criminal act of hate in Georgia, the rising tide of violence against members of the AAPI community, and our nation’s inadequate response to this, and so many recent and horrifically blatant acts of hate, terror, and violence against them are a reflection of a long history of racism, xenophobia, inequity, bias, and objectification of AAPI people and culture. We extend our support and stand in solidarity with those who have been violently impacted by centuries-long hate, terror, and violence directed at the AAPI community in the United States.

Violence against AAPI communities is part of a larger system of violence and racism against all communities of color, including Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. We firmly condemn white supremacy, systemic racism, and gender-based violence.

We recognize that AAPI stories and artists are not only underrepresented in the American theatre and culture, but have a history of being painfully misrepresented in American theatre and culture. Through new play development, Seven Devils New Play Foundry creates opportunities for dialogue that broaden our understanding of ourselves and others. We are committed to expanding and deepening our anti-racism practices, policies, and agendas and lifting up and amplifying the artists, voices, and stories that represent the diversity of the American experience, including those of the AAPI communities.
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Solidarity demands active support for those who are most impacted in this moment. Here’s a list of organizations, resources, and opportunities others in the theatre community have been amplifying that actively engage and support the fight against AAPI discrimination, hate, and violence. This list is nowhere near exhaustive.

CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF RESOURCES

• AAPI Community Organization Directory
• The AAPI COVID-19 Project Resource List
• Asian American Pacific Legal Resource Center
• ​Asian American Youth Leadership Empowerment and Development (AALEAD)
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice Resource List
• Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment (APACEvotes)
• The National Resource Center on AAPI Aging (NAPCA)
• Stop AAPI Hate
• #StopAsianHate Gofundme
• Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA)
• PBS Newshour: “What you can do to fight violence and racism against Asian Americans”
• Playbill: “Stop AAPI Hate: A Resource Guide to Support the Asian-American Community”

 To report an incident of violence or discrimination against the AAPI community for yourself or someone else, we encourage you to visit:  https://stopaapihate.org/ or https://www.napaba.org/page/HateCrimeResources

BLACK LIVES MATTER

The cruel and all-too-casual murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police as he begged for his life was beyond criminal; it was inhumanity incarnate. That within the “halls of justice” there remains any question about this only serves to confirm the deeply embedded institutional racism that denies not only the value of black and brown lives, but disregards their humanity at its most basic level. It is not enough to recognize this poison, to view it with disgust, to speak its name in those rooms where we find the comfort of those who are like-minded. This terrible poison must be actively, deliberately and without any more excuses or calls for patience, purged from every inch of our national soul. We stand in support of Black Communities. We stand in support of those protesting. We stand with the knowledge that this moment will require more of institutions and organizations, and we stand determined to engage that responsibility vigorously.