Our nation is in the midst of a war of narratives. On one side, there is a narrative of Black people as criminals and subhuman, deserving to be killed. On the other side, there is the narrative of Black life, love, and powerful humanity. If we are to achieve any measure of justice, the latter must be the narrative that wins the day.
But where can this narrative be heard? It rarely gets told. There is no space for it in the corporate office. There is no space for it in the corporate street. There is no space for it on the freeway or in the coffee shop or at Target. In order to exist in any of these spaces, we must exist the ‘Great White Way’.
The theater is supposed to be one of the few places where complex, beautiful narratives of humanity can live freely. But even in theater the narrative of Black humanity rarely lives - rarely ever gets told. Even in the VERY PLACE where narratives should flow freely from every mouth, Black people and other People of Color are sidelined, silenced, and stifled.
We can’t breathe.
Theater should be a space where ALL narratives can live. Where everyone can express their complicated humanity to the world. Where our narratives can be free, because narrative is LIFE. But freedom is never given, it must be taken. With The Forum, I take my freedom – my humanity; I stand firmly with others taking theirs; I encourage you to take yours; And if your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us take it together.
Ryan Takemiya