Our Pledge
We pledge to create an anti-racist culture that resonates not just on our stages, but throughout the communities they support. We stand in solidarity with our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color) community. With open hearts, we say that Black lives more than matter – they are a crucial part of the fabric of our society and the work we do as artists. We pledge to raise up and interweave diverse voices in all of our endeavors, creating a vibrant tapestry in the art that we produce. At Moonbox, we pledge not just to acknowledge the crucial nature of this work, but to act on it. We will:
- Implement anti-racist practices in both our internal policies and our external initiatives;
- Intentionally create an anti-racist culture among our staff, advisory panel, and artists;
- Produce works that truthfully reflect the community around us – both as it has been and as we hope it will become; and
- Actively monitor what works and what doesn’t, convening at least quarterly to make sure we continue our progress along an anti-racist path.
This will be hard work, and that it is long overdue. We are only beginning to unravel decades of injustice, and we must be steadfast in our commitment to positive change. We will work tenaciously and tirelessly to make sure that everyone – at every level of our organization, and throughout the communities we support – feels that they belong.
Land Acknowledgment
We recognize that the land we live, work, and thrive upon is not our own. We acknowledge that this land was taken from Indigenous communities that have endured a painful history of genocide and colonization. With every production and in every printed program, we will pause to honor the legacy of these people and our shared responsibilities in reconciliation. We invite you to join us as we consider our roles in decolonization and co-conspiratorship. This plan is a working document and will be updated often and as necessary. This plan is in response to the list if demands by the anti-racism organization #WSYWAT (We See You White American Theatre).
Our Action Plan
By January 2021, Moonbox will have completed a comprehensive anti-racism policy that we will share widely with our community to affirm our position in dismantling racist practices within our shared theater community. This policy will be a work in progress and will be adjusted accordingly to fit our ever-changing atmosphere.
Advisory Panel
By February 2021, Moonbox will create a community-member advisory panel whose membership contains at least three to four artists who identify as members of the BIPOC community. This panel will serve as a resource to Moonbox staff, artists and community partners who enter into open dialogues on how we are engaging with all communities and be a voice in helping us implement better practices. Initially, we envision panel members serving a one-year term with the option to renew for a second year based on mutual agreement. Ultimately, we will aim for a panel of four to six advisers, made up either of two cohorts of two with staggered two-year terms, or two cohorts of three with staggered two-year terms. Each year, Moonbox’s staff and advisory panel will partner with BIPOC community leaders and Non-Profit Partners and engage in dialogue to determine how we can deepen our support in these communities.
Implicit Bias Training
At present Moonbox is engaged in bi-weekly courses guided by CELC (Cultural Equity Learning Center) with goals to:
- Reduce harm towards Black, Indigenous, queer, and trans persons of color (BIPOC | QTPOC), and well as persons of color with disabilities.
- Increase the skill sets and accountability of white arts and culture sector leaders.
- Delve into what it means to build anti-racist co-conspiratorship within the sector.
- Deeply examine what it means to build anti-racist arts and culture organizations.
By Spring 2021, Moonbox staff will engage in quarterly training including but not limited to implicit bias training, anti-racism in theater training, bystander intervention training, conflict de-escalation training, and harassment prevention training.
Hiring and On-Boarding
By April 2021, Moonbox will implement an orientation and onboarding process for all staff, artists, advisory panel members, contractors and volunteers that includes anti-racism awareness and a zero-tolerance harassment policy. Upon completion, all personnel will be required to sign an anti-racism pledge and zero-tolerance harassment agreement. As Moonbox grows and opportunities to increase our staff develop, we will intentionally seek out BIPOC applicants and cast our nets in BIPOC-specific networks in the quest to keep our staff diverse and inclusive.
Productions
Moonbox will engage with culturally accurate directors and design staff when producing BIPOC-centered stories. Equally, we will engage with BIPOC directors and designers when producing non-BIPOC-centered stories. Moonbox will be intentional in selecting and producing BIPOC-centered shows – not only those of the struggle, but those rich in the accomplishments and success of the BIPOC community. These productions will make up 50% of our season.
Commitment to Inclusivity
Historically, we feel that we have fallen short in achieving sufficient levels of equity and representation, and we commit to changing that by:
- Increasing the number of BIPOC* artists (actors) within our mainstage season until there is equal and adequate racial/ ethnic representation, so that our stage is a true reflection of the communities we serve;
- Increasing the number of BIPOC* musicians within our mainstage season until there equal and adequate racial/ ethnic representation, so that our stage is a true reflection of the communities we serve;
- Increasing the number of BIPOC* design/production staff within our mainstage season until there equal and adequate racial/ ethnic representation, so that our stage is a true reflection of the communities we serve.
We will also apply all of the action points above to the curation of our annual Boston New Works Festival and Breaking Bread Projects. We will also be intentional with directly reaching out to historically marginalized communities when engaging our community through our Shadowbox Program and Moonbox U initiative. Moonbox will be intentional in our marketing, seeking ways to share our productions with the broader community. Specifically, we will increase our visibility within BIPOC* communities in a through direct and dedicated marketing, mailers, and digital engagement to increase BIPOC* audience attendance, creating a community where everyone is welcomed. Moonbox will deepen our engagement with BIPOC-led and -focused Non-Profit Partners; these BIPOC partnerships will make up 50% of the Non-Profit Partners for each season. *What does BIPOC mean? BIPOC is a broad umbrella term broken down to mean Black/ Indigenous/ Person of Color. Within this broad term, here are some non-exhaustive examples of those that are considered “BIPOC”: Black, African-American, those of the African diaspora, Indigenous (American Indian, Native American, First Nations, Native Alaskan, Alaskan Native), Asian, East Asian Latine(o/a/x), South Asian, Hawaiian, Pacific Islander.