#STOPASIANHATEALBERTA

THE CITADEL THEATRE’S STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY

The Citadel Theatre is in the heart of Edmonton, and we are so lucky to call Treaty 6 territory home. The best part of our community is our neighbours; the individuals that make up our staff, our teams of artists, and our audiences. As a regional theatre, it is our duty and pleasure to serve our community: to reflect your experiences on our stages, and to amplify your voices in the stories we tell.

It is our responsibility to join together with our neighbours to stop hate.

In the last 12 months, we have witnessed a heartbreaking rise in abhorrent violence and hateful, divisive rhetoric towards the Asian Canadian members of our community.  These stories are coming out across Alberta and throughout Canada, and while there has been a marked increase over the last year, these stories only contribute to the long history of white supremacy and racial injustice in our communities.  We are proud to raise our voice with these communities as they call for the end of racism, xenophobia, discrimination, violence and hate towards our neighbours.

Citadel Theatre has to do our part as well. We commit to dismantling the systems of oppression that our organization has benefited from. We acknowledge our privilege as one of the largest arts organizations in Alberta, and one of the largest regional theatres in Canada; it is our responsibility to enshrine this pledge at the heart of our company. We are building an anti-racism and anti-oppression framework within our organization to address and avoid intersectional bias, inequities and oppression, through training, paid consultation, internal analysis, our commitment to Edmonton’s 35//50 Initiative, and significant systemic changes.

If you aren’t sure where to start to denounce and eliminate race-based hate, here is a list from Linda Hoang and #StopAsianHateAlberta

• Speak out if you see a racially motivated attack.
• Call out jokes that disparage or stereotype any BIPOC community.
• Donate to organizations that support BIPOC community initiatives.
• Support your favourite BIPOC restaurants, business owners, and try new ones.
• Listen and act when BIPOC in your community are sharing their experiences.
• Read and research to learn what is happening and determine how you can best help.

We encourage our followers to work towards racial justice, to advocate against harassment and discriminatory practices, and to support local Asian-owned businesses and organizations that serve our community. We’ve shared anti-racism, community, and intervention resources below.

In Solidarity and Love,

The Staff and Board of Citadel Theatre