Lighting the marquee since 1933!

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To friends and patrons of DLT and to our local community and beyond,

 

As an organization, we have sought to stand by our pledge to be a safe and supportive home for all voices regardless of their race. That we cultivate an environment that addresses and responds to the exceedingly long history of racial inequality and violent prejudices within our nation and our communities. With these intentions in mind, we, along with so many others, looked on in horror as we witnessed the cruel appalling murder of George Perry Floyd Jr. at the hands of police officers. George’s murder marks another tragic link in a long chain of racial injustices, perpetrated by police and vigilantes alike, who have stolen the lives of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and countless other individuals of color, underscoring a terrible reality that our nation’s pledge of freedom and justice for all is not being upheld. 

 

We should never forget the many years Black Americans had to struggle against elected authorities who called it a “crime” when they demanded the right to be free, the right to vote, the right to drive, the right to a good and integrated education, the right to assemble in protest of a society who was turning away as members of their community were being beaten and executed in the streets, the right to feel safe in a nation that touts Liberty to All personified in a monument welcoming huddled masses to a land where they can “breathe free.” For too many, these trials and tribulations of moral and social injustice carry on. 

 

We should never forget that many of us are privileged to see this nation as an opportunity to strive towards prosperity no matter our social standing, while so many others must swim against a current of bias which denies a disproportionate number of Black Americans good employment, a justice system that disproportionately imprisons and disenfranchises minorities, and a society that systematically undermines the rights of Black Americans. The pandemic of COVID-19, which some have called the great equalizer of which we all “equally” contend, in fact, disproportionally affects the lives of Black Americans, accentuating the pandemic of racism that has long ravaged our communities. 

 

The murder of George Floyd is a justly loud call for change, but is certainly not the first. The actions of our nation and many of its elected leaders have spent arduous decades deflecting the mantle of equality before arriving at this unavoidable epoch that demands honest self reflection as individuals, organizations and governmental bodies. As a country, and as the citizens of it, we must treat the sickness of race inequality in our country, and not surrender ourselves to the same denial and inaction that has cyclically plagued our humanity from the moment we denied the rights of the few for the comfort of the many. 

 

As an organization, there is without doubt more we could do. We are proud to be a part of the diverse community of Dover, and we wholeheartedly accept the responsibility to find more ways to trumpet the voices of those often unheard. We will seek ways in which our stage can be a platform for the hearts and minds of BIPOC individuals, and to actively have such persons shape the content and environment of our organization. We restate our pledge to address any forms of discrimination and bias and welcome all individuals regardless of their race. 

 

Please see the following links for resources on how you can donate to help support the cause for equality and ways you can be an active ally for the BIPOC community. 

 

Black Lives Matter - https://blacklivesmatter.com/

Black Visions Collective - https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/

Color of Change - https://colorofchange.org/about/

NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund - https://www.naacpldf.org/

American Civil Liberties Union - https://aclu.org/

 

Additional ways to help and donate: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CjZMORRVuv-I-qo4B0YfmOTqIOa3GUS207t5iuLZmyA

 

Anti-racism Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs


We at Dover Little Theatre are still learning how to better serve BIPOC individuals. If you have any suggestions on ways we can improve our organization in this way, please email us at doverlittletheatre@gmail.com.


In solidarity,

 

The Executive Board of DLT