Democracy is not a monologue, it’s a conversation. We invite you this year to take back democracy by participating in the 7th Annual People’s State of the Union!

The USDAC is proud to collaborate with our friends The Theater Offensive (TTO) and MASSCreative to present the seventh annual Poetic Address to the Nation on April 22nd, 7pm ET.

Every year, the USDAC sponsors the People’s State of the Union, inviting community members across the country to host story circles in their own homes, schools, houses of worship, and community organizations, engaging in conversations that reveal the state of our union. The Poetic Address to the Nation invites writers, performers, and activists to present work inspired by the stories. TTO will produce the virtual 2021 Poetic Address to the Nation, featuring exemplary Boston-based and national performers, in partnership with the USDAC and MASSCreative.Founded in 1989, TTO is a social change organization that presents liberating art by, for, and about queer and trans people of color. MASSCreative advocates for a well-resourced and equitable creative sector that is essential to the economic and civic vibrancy of Massachusetts.

This year, community members across the nation were invited to reflect on the interlocking crises of systemic racism, eviction, poverty, access to healthcare, and more laid bare by COVID-19.

The Poetic Address to the Nation is historically an in-person event; moving it virtually this year allows partners and participants to expand the event’s accessibility beyond any single space, bridging communities across geographic boundaries. Those connections are the foundation of what Story Circles can weave in communities across the country.

More info below:

The 2021 People’s State of the Union

April 22, 2021, 7 to 8 pm ET

For more info, visit https://usdac.us/psotu/

About the US Department of Arts and Culture

The USDAC is a network of artists, activists, and allies inciting creativity and social imagination to shape a culture of equity, empathy, and belonging.

The USDAC affirms the right to culture and pursuing cultural democracy that Welcomes each individual as a whole person; values each community’s heritage, contributions, and aspirations; promotes caring, reciprocity, and open communication across all lines of difference, and; dismantles all barriers to love and justice

About the Theater Offensive

The Theater Offensive’s mission is liberation. To present liberating art by, for, and about queer and trans people of color that transcends artistic boundaries, celebrates cultural abundance, and dismantles oppression.

About MASSCreative

MASSCreative advocates for a well-resourced and equitable creative sector that is essential to the economic and civic vibrancy of Massachusetts. Working with its organizational and individual members, MASSCreative advances the public policy, grassroots advocacy learning, and cross-sector alliances necessary to creating a Commonwealth where art, culture, and creativity are a valued part of everyday life.