SHOW's Anti-Racism Commitment

We acknowledge that SHOW is a community of predominantly white people in a predominantly white area of Massachusetts, and that we are members of the world of American circus, which has a long and problematic history of racism which continues to this day. 

We are in an active process of understanding our role in both of these contexts, and developing tangible and meaningful ways to support the ongoing local and national anti-racism movement led by people of color and youth. We acknowledge that our efforts will be imperfect, and that they will require personal and financial sacrifices. We are committed to doing this work because it is the most important thing we can do for the safety of our community.

 This list is by no means comprehensive, but it is a starting point.  This page will serve as accountability and transparency in these endeavors, and will always be available here on our website.  





 

What We're Doing 

These are the steps in progress right now

Financial Support:  In recognition of the financial impact of structural racism, SHOW Circus Studio is pleased to provide one BIPOC scholarship for each session of classes, in addition to our need-based scholarships. (You are welcome to apply for both if both apply to you!)

Anti-Racism Task Force: A dedicated group of SHOW staff have been meeting regularly, and are currently working in small groups to create short, medium and long-term action plans in the areas of studio curriculum, inclusion of BIPOC in SHOW's community, and outreach to local organizations to form partnerships to promote racial justice in our larger community. 

Representation Inventory:  We are taking a serious  look at our space and the images we have.  We want to make sure that black people and people of color are represented as authors of the books in our waiting room, in the picture of performers.  If you would like to help us add books by black authors or featuring characters of color, we are accepting used books, and you can support these authors and a local business by ordering them from a local or black owned bookstore.  See our list of books and bookstores here!

Spreading the Word:  If you or your organization is running an event, please let us know by reaching out to info@showcircusstudio.com, and we will happy to discuss how we can help promote it to our community, or ways we could help sponsor! 

 



What We Want to Do 

Our dedicated racial justice task force is meeting to create action plans in the areas of curriculum, inclusion, and community collaboration. We will update our community soon with ways that you can get involved. Our plan aims to include each of the following action items, and much more- stay tuned!

Offering our Space:  Many members of our staff have offered to volunteer time so that we can make our waiting room space available to our community.  SHOW hopes to offer free meeting space to local groups led by black people and people of color on Fridays and Sundays, social distancing permitting. 

SHOW Crisis and Deescalation Team:  We are so thankful to have a Social Worker on our staff.  A long term goal for the studio is to have a crisis intervention and deescalation training for our staff, so as to be more prepared to serve the mental health needs of our community.  

 


Ways You Can Help 

Here are some links to community organizations, resources, and things we're doing!

If you would like to add your event, group, or organization here please reach out to info@showcircusstudio.com

413 Stay Woke Stay Active: Whether person of color or ally, this group is for you because they promise that there is #aplaceforeveryone in this movement. This is a group that post upcoming meetings, events, and demonstrations to help keep you informed AND to combine efforts as needed.  You can find this group here

Support the SHOW Racial Justice Fund: SHOW is committed to practicing anti-racism, and as we launch into 2021 we are calling on you, our community, to help us move forward in our anti-racism efforts. We have established the SHOW Racial Justice Fund, a community-supported endowment dedicated to furthering anti-racism at SHOW, and we will be consulting with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color leaders in the circus community on the best ways to use the resources gifted to the fund by our community members.  Find out more and contribute here! 

 

 

150 Pleasant St, Suite #313
Easthampton, MA 01027
413-527-6901
info@showcircusstudio.com

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