Dear APAP Members and Colleagues,

Last week, we gathered for the first APAP BREAK/ROOM Conversations. Whether or not you were able to join us, we wanted to share the experience with you.

Led by some brilliant leaders among us, the BREAK/ROOM conversations were originally planned as a response to the widespread and devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our field, which laid bare the many pain points and inequities in our practices and institutions. Galvanized by the recent and ongoing injustices in our country, the conversations became a call-to-action to rebuild and redesign the performing arts---and our relationships to each other---in a more equitable, just and humanistic way.

We were inspired by the bold thinking and deep listening we witnessed.

We invite you to replay ---or watch for the first time---the APAP BREAK/ROOM Conversations , as well as view the chat and the transcripts .

It's not a coincidence that we are sharing these resources today, June 19. T he present-day outcry for justice echoes the 400 years of inequality endured and resilience demonstrated by African Americans. In recognizing the end of the atrocity of slavery in the U.S., we celebrate Juneteenth and invite you and your organizations to use this day to listen, learn, reflect and take action.

In doing so, we celebrate hope, but also bear the reckoning of the painful truth it reveals. We commend the artists, organizations and communities throughout the country who have for many years celebrated Juneteenth, demonstrating an unyielding commitment to express, create, teach and connect us through the performing arts. As we soldier on in the name of equity and justice, we honor Black artists and Black arts as part of the healing work that bridges humanity.

We thank you for the transformative work you have done and for the work you are about to do. This is an historical moment.

We are stronger together.