Actors' Equity Association Commemorates Juneteenth

Actors' Equity Association declared that Juneteenth would be a staff holiday.

Juneteenth commemorates the day that the last of the Africans enslaved in the United States were set free - more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation became law. This annual holiday is a time of celebration and reflection and a call to action to combat racial inequality.

Equity is taking steps to become an anti-racist organization. Equity's elected Council passed a formal resolution regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, currently accessible in Equity's Diversity & Inclusion blog and in the member portal.

Members seeking to join that work can explore resources, such as a webinar on race that took place in April, currently available in the member portal and the forthcoming Workplace Inclusion Lab, scheduled for June 22.

This week, the union held a Town Hall to discuss racial justice in Equity and the larger theatre industry, including creating space for Black members to address union leadership.