Calling Up Justice is making this request to our arts funders across the nation.  Please share this message with anyone you think needs to hear it. 

As our nation faces the likelihood of increased racist, heterosexist, patriarchal, imperialist, xenophobic, and ableist policies, it is more vital than ever to activate the power of the arts to bring communities together. We need your help to support artists in producing meaningful, positive events that inspire hope, reinforce collective values, and strengthen community resilience during this critical time.

We propose the creation of a special quick-turnaround community-producing grant to empower artists to organize events in early January. These gatherings—similar in spirit to celebrations like MLK Day, Pride, and Juneteenth—are essential moments where people come together not just to remember, but to feel deeply connected and affirmed in their shared humanity.

We recognize that quickly manifesting an opportunity of this sort is challenging and requires collaboration, staff time, and board approval. However, we don’t have the luxury of time to do this slowly. The urgency of this moment calls for bold, rapid action to ensure that communities have the tools and resources they need to organize and thrive. Your willingness to adapt and act decisively can make all the difference.

In times of tension and uncertainty, art can create the emotional resonance that facts and rhetoric alone cannot achieve. We remember not what we’ve been told but how we’ve been made to feel. These events can help communities feel good about belonging, collaboration, and mutual care at a time when those values may feel under attack.

We view this effort as a form of anti-insurrection performance: a proactive way to counter divisive narratives and policies by fostering unity, joy, and determination. By funding artists and producers to create intentional spaces of care and celebration, you can help ensure that communities are not only surviving but thriving, together.

Time is of the essence. We hope you will join us in making this vision possible. Let us work together to ensure that early January becomes a powerful moment of connection, healing, and action.

Thank you for your consideration and for your continued dedication to supporting the arts as a tool for transformation and justice.

With gratitude,

Claudia Alick
Exec Producer, Calling Up Justice
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