About Us : Anti-Racism Resources

Anti-Racism Resources

We encourage you to join us in supporting Black activists, artists, businesses, and communities through action, donations, and by educating yourself about the history of American racism. We will continue to add additional resources; please check back often.

Statement of Support for We See You White American Theater

While not always a theater (we present a wide range of unconventional works in the performing and visual arts), the Armory acknowledges and supports the vital work of We See You White American Theatre (WSYWAT). We embrace the vision for equity articulated by its Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) theater-makers. We fully endorse the principles and goals expressed in the WSWAT letter, which align with our own values and goals.

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The Armory embraces diversity in its artistic leadership, and in the artists we support through our productions, commissioning program, artists-in-residence program, educational activities, and artist convenings and public talks. We have acknowledged the original ownership of the land on which our building sits, and in 2018, hosted and supported the first congregation of Lenape Leaders in Manhattan since the 1700s.

But we must do more on an off-stage, recognizing that our efforts are still a work in progress, and there are many more actions we can and will take, collaborating with all our stakeholders, in making diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism a cornerstone of the Armory’s mission.

The Armory is committed to growth, change, and building and improving DEI & in all areas of of our organization and programming, including our staff, Board, and other members of our community. Essential components of our continuing path to change include equitable staff hiring and compensation practices and a culture of compassion, respect, support, and feedback in which our staff can thrive in our collective pursuit of excellence.

We have been planning and implementing new initiatives and expect significant progress by fall of 2021 in the areas of staff and Board diversity, professional development, anti-racism training, artistic programming and audience diversity, communications, and contracting. More specifically, among the initiatives we are and will be working on are:

Establishing an Armory Code of Conduct that sets out diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism as essential values at every level of the organization, with standards of behavior regarding staff, Board, contractors, artists, and audience;
Implementing ongoing anti-racism and bias training for all staff, including an inclusive DEI & AR committee comprised of a cross-section of all departments and staff levels that recommends initiatives with input from all departments and measures progress;
Increasing diversity on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and engaging the Board in training sessions, dialogue, and development of an anti-racist statement and implementation policies;
Creating and filling the positions of Chief Operating Officer and Director of Human Resources with people of color charged with helping to ensure equitable systems throughout the organization, including compensation reviews and performance evaluations, a safe space for reporting and discussion, and open and accessible team building activities;
Hiring diverse candidates at all levels, especially at senior levels and in management positions, paying attention to recruiting channels, bias, and barriers to access and inclusion;
Creating advancement paths within the organization and to future opportunities outside of the organization through training and professional development;
Continuing to foster diverse artistic leadership who seek unconventional arts created by diverse artists for diverse audiences;
Ensuring that the support teams (creatives, stage managers, production assistants) we build around artists for any production include significant BIPOC participation;
Increasing BIPOC presence in production and technical crews through recruiting, internships, and training;
Developing strategies to attract and retain more diverse audiences through programming, outreach, marketing, ticket pricing, special events, and the visitor experience;
Reviewing communications standards for marketing, fundraising, public relations, and programs; and
Reviewing processes around contractors and vendors to increase BIPOC participation.

We will look to the WSYWAT document for guidance as we go on this sometimes challenging but necessary journey towards a more inclusive, equitable, diverse, and anti-racist organization.

Featured Resources

Updated January 21, 2021

Listen to Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” from the 2021 Presidential Inauguration
Amanda Gorman made history in 2017 by being named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate in the United States by UrbanWord and the Library of Congress. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she graduated cum laude from Harvard with a degree in Sociology.

Sign the Petition for COVID-19 Relief
Support the Movement for Black Lives’ petition calling on congressional leadership to pass COVID-19 relief that prioritizes Black communities over corporations and does not rely on the militarization of communities of color as a response to the pandemic. Sign the petition.

Explore New Work by Carl Hancock Rux & Carrie Mae Weems
Discover The Baptism, a new Lincoln Center Commission by poet Carl Hancock Rux (Interrogations of Form: The Shape of Things, 2017; Black Artists Retreat 2019: Sonic Imagination) that pays tribute to the legacies of civil rights leaders John Lewis and C.T. Vivian, two towering figures who stood at the front lines of the battle for racial justice. The 11-minute film is directed by Armory Artist-in-Residence Carrie Mae Weems. Explore the work.