We Have a Lot of Work to Do

Published June 2020

We, the Technicians For Change Steering Committee, feel we need to own up. We recognize that we have perpetuated, even in ways we can’t fully understand, white fragility and supremacy in American technical theatre and live performance. As an activist organization, we were oblivious and ignored our neighbors whose crisis was the most dire. We did not show up for you in the ways we should have. We did not stand when we should have against injustice, silencing, and elitism in our workplaces, communities, and unions. We have operated without a single Black, Indigenous, Person of Color, Transgender, or Non-Binary contributor to our publications or activist efforts. Our fear of doing it wrong became an inexcusable roadblock. We have suffocated efforts for change, equity, and innovation with our fears, doubts, and distrust. We have condoned anti-blackness. We have been complicit in exploitation, shaming, diminishing, and exclusion. We have failed. We have consented to become what we detest.

We strive to become a stronger, bolder, and more compassionate organization; and we know that admission of our fault is only the first step in our journey.