“….there is no neutrality in the racism struggle. The opposite of ‘racist’ isn’t ‘not racist.’ It is ‘anti-racist.’ What’s the difference? One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an anti-racist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an anti-racist. The term ‘racist’ is not…the equivalent of a slur. It is descriptive; and the only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it – and then dismantle it.” – Ibram X. Kendi
HOW DOES EPIC HELP YOUNG PEOPLE DISMANTLE SYSTEMIC RACISM?
Epic does not merely hope for a future America that practices diversity, equity, and inclusion; we fight to empower the young people who we know can forge that reality. And we empower them as arts leaders, because we believe that artists must be central to the political dialogue that will drive the change that enables that future.
Epic was founded specifically to build connections – artistic, pedagogical, and in terms of mentorship – between a diverse professional ensemble of theatre artists and young people of color whose schools and communities have been consistently overlooked and under-resourced. We see our work with youth through an asset-driven rather than deficit-based lens; that is, we ask what the young people we serve can uniquely contribute rather than what they “need.” We believe that the under-representation of the communities we serve in leadership positions in our institutions is the result of a playing field which has been slanted to serve a privileged few (notably in our own field of professional theatre) so we work to level that field for everyone rather than promote the voices of a few.
As a result, Epic is incrementally making the American theatre a more inclusive, more just, and more important place for new young leaders of color to assert their role as agents of change.