TOWN HALLS

WHAT IT WAS

TWO KINDS OF TOWN HALL

BTGM used the town hall in two ways. The first was the public broadcast. On July 10, 2020, weeks after the open letter, BTGM and The Joy-Jackson Initiative hosted a live Town Hall on equity in the arts for theatre leaders, streamed on the BTGM Facebook page at 8 pm Eastern. A second broadcast followed on October 30, 2020, produced with The Joy-Jackson Initiative and streamed live on both organizations' platforms at 8 pm Eastern. Panelists joined a live studio one by one, and the audience followed along in a moderated comment stream.

The second was a monthly meeting for members. Starting April 5, 2021, leadership met with the membership on Zoom at 8 pm Eastern on the first Monday of each month to share upcoming events, show ways to get involved, hold votes on proposals and open the floor. Attending members were entered in a raffle for BTGM swag.

WHO IT SERVED

MEMBERS, AND ANYONE WHO NEEDED ACCESS

The monthly meetings served the full BTGM membership and its partners. Each meeting held an open forum for Black and Brown women and a separate question and answer time for BIPOC allies, and members could request accommodations in advance.

Access shaped the public broadcast. Sponsor gifts paid for American Sign Language interpreters, and every speaker introduced themselves with their name, pronouns, a land acknowledgement and a visual description of themselves and their surroundings.

HOW IT RAN

WHAT A MEETING HELD

• Updates. Each director reported on their area: public relations, social media, community partnerships, education, technology and accessibility.
• Ways in. Open calls for volunteers, teaching assistants and selection committee members.
• Votes. Members voted on proposals brought to the floor.
• Open floor. Questions, concerns and new ideas from members.
• Guest speakers. Including Dr. Monica White Ndounou, founder and executive director of The Craft Institute.
• Leadership present. Eight members of the leadership team presented at the first monthly meeting.