A message of solidarity with Black Lives Matter by McEvoy Foundation for the Arts' executive director Susan Miller.

Announcement

McEvoy Arts Stands in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter

To our community,

We add our voice to the call for a long-overdue end to racial injustice and inequity and unequivocally affirm that Black Lives Matter. We denounce police brutality and its murderous results. We stand united with all people peacefully organizing to speak the truth about racial violence in all its forms. 

The pervasive suffering experienced by Black people and communities of color, tragically compounded by COVID-19, is unacceptable. Only by facing uncomfortable truths and complicity in a broken system do we honor the lives of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, as well as Bay Area citizens Sean Monterrosa, Mario Woods, Luis Góngora Pat, Jessica Williams, Amilcar Perez-Lopez, Alex Nieto, Oscar Grant, and many more. 

We demand accountability and transparency in government, law enforcement, and in all areas of private and public service. When leadership is absent or hostile towards those it represents, it becomes a human rights imperative to organize peacefully and demand change. The current system must be rebuilt with the voices of the underprivileged at the center. 

We in cultural institutions must also undertake the difficult work of resisting racism, systemic oppression, and inequity in all corners of society. McEvoy Arts aims to support culturally diverse artistic projects from all over the world and provide access freely to all communities. We believe in the arts as a powerful and innovative form of expression that shapes people for a lifetime. The staff of McEvoy Arts are listening and engaging in discussions, inside and out, to fortify and amplify our commitment to Black narratives and anti-racist work of Black Americans in our activities. We look forward to sharing developments with you as they unfold.

Clearly, we all have a role and work to do. Please consider getting involved with one or more of these powerful organizations [hyperlink] that support Black lives and voices. Please also register to vote and complete your 2020 Census

In solidarity,

We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions at info@mcevoyarts.org. Thank you.

Susan Miller
Executive Director

This is an incomplete list of resources with thanks to the Museum of the African Diaspora, Berkeley Arts + Design, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and Artnet for their research.