The signed North Carolina-based working and originating Black makers, performers, and artists are committed to building an equitable arts and cultural sector. It is our labor, dollars, sweat equity, and culture that make both burgeoning and prestigious North Carolina organizations culturally viable. As educators, volunteers, artists, and essential workers, we recognize that the moment for systemic change is now.
The history of predominantly white-led institutions benefiting from the disenfranchisement of the Black artist and community is well documented. From slavery to Jim Crow, to post Civil Rights era, to today, Black artists have been continuously excluded from the canon, been wrongly categorized, and historically disregarded as obvious by the egregious lack of Black staff, leadership, and representation at cultural institutions across the nation.
Leverage your power, influence, and platform via structured action to ascertain viable and sustainable support to Black communities, Black entrepreneurship, and Black artistry.
Ensure conducive environments for Black artists and patrons by identifying, examining, deconstructing, and eradicating existing racist policies and processes buried in the fabric of your Institution.
Honor and respect the Black creative by awarding voice, visibility, acknowledgment, and compensation that commensurates with their white male counterparts.
We recognize that the transformation of our field and organizations is urgent and is also an ongoing long-term process and commitment. Your commitment to the lifelong work of dismantling racist paradigms, systems and structures won’t happen overnight. Because of this, we are interested in implementing accountability measures for all organizations.
You, your organization and your colleagues can contribute to The NC Black Artists for Liberation Project by making a donation here. But your investment must go beyond your cash donation.
It is your organization’s responsibility to design, develop and enact a clearly articulated racial equity plan (based on your capacity, size and funding) with measurable goals in the areas of hiring, organizational culture, leadership and organizational transparency over the next six months. If you are feeling lost and don’t know where to begin, consider hiring a BIPOC consultant to assist with the development of a strategic plan.
Complacency is just as violent as silence. If in 6 months your organization stands without a plan for action, we will:
Conversely, organizations that are taking effective measures to end the inherently racist policies and procedures embedded in our field will be publicly honored and promoted.
While we understand that culture alone cannot fix systemic racism, culture is strongly connected to racism’s material effects and the violence used against us as Black artists and makers. This is your opportunity to really be the change that we need to see.
Antoine Williams
Carmen Neely
Chris Watts
J. Stacy Utley
Jessica Moss
Marcus Kiser
Sherrill Roland
A'lexus Newkirk
Adam N. Justice
Ade Hogue
Adria Gunter
Adrian Solomon
Adriana Blanco
Aisha Cannon
Alessandria Shines
Alethea Byrd
Alex Alcorn
Alexandra McArthur
Alexandra Snowden
Alexandra Walker
Alia El-Bermani
Alisha Wormsley
Alison Dunn
Allison Coleman
Allison Spooner
Alvin C. Jacobs Jr
Alyzza May
Amanda Skiscim
Amy H
Andrea Phillips
Andrea Vail
Andrew S Yang
Angela Lombardi
Angela Roote
Ann Dawkins
Anna Cone
Anna Garner
Anna Good
Anna Luisa Daigneault (Quilla)
Anna Wallace
Anna Weaver
Annah Lee
Anne Hawthorn
Annie Lattimore
Ant M Lobo
April Parker
Ariana F
Ash Eliza Smith
Ash Limés Castellana
Asha Iman
Ashley Brown
Ashley G.
Ashley Nickens
Ashley Proctor
Aubrey Hedrick
Aviva Imbrey
Barbara Campbell Thomas
Barent Getzoff
Baxter Buchanan
Becca Cheshire
Becky Jollensten
Bethany Eddleman
Bianca Floyd
Bobby Blue
Brandi Richardson
Brandi Schmitz
Brandon Cordrey
Bre'Anna Washington
Brenda Miller Holmes
BRIAN HOWE
Brian T Leahy
Brianna Daniels
Brianna Yancey
Brittany Carlson
Brittany Solem
Bryan M Wilson
C.Renee
Caitlin Cary
Caitlin Margaret Kelly
Cam Sumner
Cameron Bowie
Candy Carver
Carey J. King
Carlton Hargro
Carri Shaffner Yow
Carrie Le Chevallier
Cassie Hamrick
Catherine Armistead
Catherine Burns
Causey Brady
Cecilia Zuvic
Chad Cartwright
Chelsea Whitton
Cherrita Wallace
Chieko Murasugi
Chloé Rager
Chris Ivey
Chris Vitiello
Christian Matheis
Christopher Musselwhite
Christy Blanco
CiCi Johnson
Ciltona Cawthorne
Claire Ashby
Claire Stamper
Claudio Ortiz
Cliff Dossel
Colby Caldwell
Collin D Perry
Conner Calhoun
Craig Cutright
Crystal Presley
Cynelsa E.B.
Dalia Dalili
Damian Stamer
Dane Winkler
Dani Brockington
Danielle Carelock
Dasan Ahanu
David A Hamlow
Davita Galloway
Debbie Robbins
Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay
Demarcus Williams
Derek Toomes
Destiny Stone
Devon MacKAY
Devon McKnight
Donell stinesjones
Dr. Keith Cradle
Dylan Gilbert
Dylan Sierra Rushing
E’Vonne Coleman
Eboné M. Lockett
Elder Gallery Of Contemporary Art
Elizabeth Arzani
Elle Ivy Green
Ellen C. Walker Show
Emilie Paiva
Emily Ensminger
Emily Power
Emma Headley
Emmanuel Ravenel
Erica Collier
Erica Porter
Erika Corey
Erika Hirugami, MAAB.
Erika Sanchez
Erin Kye
Evie Vanderveer
FAITH Anthony MEJIA
Fidaa Abudayeh
Gabe Duggan
Gale Manning
Gesche Würfel
Goldeicreations
Grace Clark
Grace Stott
Gracelee Lawrence
Gui Portel
Hanna Propst
Hannah Cole
HannaH Jean Crowell
Hannah Shaban
Heather Flow
Heather Fortney
Heather Gordon
Helen Schwab
Henry Rudisill
HNin Nie
Holly Whisman
Hồng-Ân Trương
I'Nasah Kiam Crockett
Ida Mae
Ilina Ewen
Irina Toshkova
Iris Williamson
Jacelyn Forst
Jaclyn Bowie
Jalonda B. Graham
James L Williams
Jamila Brown
Jane Cassidy
Janee Caulton
Jasmine Best
Jeel Storelli
Jenelle Hanes
Jennifer Meanley
Jermaine Coles
Jessica Foster
Jessika S. Johnson
Jillian Doherty
Jimese Orange
Joel Peter Johnson
Joey Emanuel
Johannes Barfield
John David Ralls
John Paul Feliciano
Jordan Booker-Medley
Jordan T. Robinson
Joseph Navarra Jr
Joy Drury Cox
Joyce Weaver
Judie Bamber
JuJu Holton
Julia Butcher
Julia Caston
Julianna Nwobi
Julie Pitts
Justin Tornow
Justus W. Harris
K. Tyrone Jefferson
Kaila Haugabrook
Kat Cramer
Kat Pesigan
Kate Freitag
Kate Monahan
Kate Nation
Kate Robinson
Katherine Mooring
Kathryn Hill
Katie Causey Miller
Katie Murray
Katy G Collier
Kay Tuttle
Kelly Sheppard Murray
Kelsey Brand
KHEM
Kira Campbell
Kirby Slade
Kit Marlowe
Krista Hoefle
Kristy Breneman
Kulsum Tasnif
Kwaku Osei
LaDara McKinnon
Lakeshia T. Reid
LaMont Hamilton
LaTiss Davis
Laura Little
Laura Ritchie
Leah Sobsey
Leala King
Leonard C Muckle
Lia Rose Newman
Libby Villavicencio
Lina Z
Lisa Homann
Lisa Woods
Liz Fitzgerald
Liz Miller
Lizzie Duggan
Logan Cyrus
Lorraine Turi
Luke Hodges
Lydia C. Thompson
lydia see
Lydia Thompson
Malik J. Norman
Marcus Belvin
Maria Britton
Marian Azeb Mereba
Martez Prince
Mary Poole
Mary R Lynn
Maryssa Pickett
Massie Minor
Matt Olin
Matthew Fitzgerald
Matthew Giddings
Matthew Steele
Maurice Moore
Mavis Gragg
Meagan Long
Meg Stein
Megan Howard
Megan Payne
Megan Sullivan
Meghan Smith
Melissa Richard
Mia McManus
Michael Neely
Michelle Freeman
Michelle Hooper
Mick Winston
Mike McCray
Mirra Goldfrad
Mitchell Kearney
Mollie Whalen
Monèt Noelle Marshall
Morgan Maxwell
Morgan O
MR Toomey
Nadia Phillips
Naomi Chambers
Natalia M Villaran
Natalie Strait
Nell Fortune-Greeley
Nelly Kate
Nick Harris
Nicole Calderon
Nicole Welch
Niles Loughlin
Nina Ward
Nolan Purvis
Nyla Rudisill-Black
Ocean Hak-Kuhn
Olga Brindar
Olivia Chisholm
Patrick Haren
Pepe Caudillo
Pete Harvey
Pete Sack
Phillip Loken
Princess H. Johnson
Quincy Lee
Rachel S. Wexler
Rahkie Mateen
Raj Bunnag
Rebecca Henderson
Regina Robertson
Rhiza Stirning
Richelle Soper
Ricky Raines
Ricky Singh
Ron Everett
Rory D Sheriff
Ruby Ferguson
Ryan Macon
Saba Taj
Sabrina Melton
Sam Naber
Samantha Reynolds
Sandi Carter
Sandrine Gibbons
Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo
Sarah Ingel
Sarah Kordulewski
Sasha Lara
Scott Summers
Sean Marimpietri
Shareese D Castillo
Shelley Smith
Sherri Esquivel-Peterson
Shihad Jackson
Sierra Corcoran
Slater Mapp
SoL Gonzalez -Feliciano
Sonja Langford
Sonya Pfeiffer
Sonya Pfeiffer
Southern Arts Movement
STACEY L KIRBY
Stephanie J. Woods
Stephen Morrison
Steven M. Cozart
Sunny Spillane
Susan Hendley
Susan Taaffe
Sydney Sherrill Gingrow
Sydney Steen
TAE Hoffman
Taya Lindsey
Taylor McKusick
Teddy
Telvin Wallace
Terri jones
Thomas P. Boyle
Tierney Steelberg
Tiffany berry
Tim Miner
Travis Laughlin
Trey Chanel Gibson
Trey Robers
Trey Roberts
Tsedaye Makonnen
Veronica Ann Neely
Wendy Earle
Whitney Stanley
Will Bruno
Will Gilreath
william cordova
William J Carpenter
William Jenkins
William Paul Thomas
Willow Stevenson
Wolly McNair
Xross (cross)
Yana Rene’
Yoori Shin