We, the dedicated dancers of Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT), unanimously voted on May 29 to form a union with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). Since then, DBDT’s leadership has made several unusual and aggressive decisions, including terminating a veteran, beloved dancer and stripping away our second income stream by not letting us teach at the DBDT Academy. These actions appear to be retaliatory, punishing us for seeking a real voice in our working lives. We detailed our experiences in a public statement on July 24, and you can read it here.

In addition to being offensive, hurtful, and damaging to the Company, we believe leadership’s actions violate federal labor law. Late last week, AGMA filed unfair labor practice charges against Dallas Black Dance Theatre with the National Labor Relations Board.

In the nearly two weeks since our public statement, there has been no response from the leadership of DBDT and no movement toward remedying the situation. So, today, we humbly ask for your help. It is not too late for leadership to do the right thing and agree to our demands and work collaboratively with us on our first contract.

Your support can help us get there. Here’s how:

Let leadership know. SEND AN EMAIL!

We have launched an Action Network letter-writing campaign and you can send a pre-drafted email in a matter of minutes. You can send it as is or personalize it any way you’d like. However, PLEASE enter your own personalized SUBJECT LINE to avoid it being sent to spam. THIS IS KEY!

The letter will automatically send to: Georgia Scaife (Board President); Ann Williams (Founder and Executive Committee member); Zenetta Drew (Executive Director); Richard Freeman (Artistic Director); Gilbert Gerst (Board Chair / Executive Committee); Paulette Turner (Board Secretary / Executive Committee); Mark D. Cooks (Board Vice President, VP Artistic / Executive Committee); Lee McKinney (Board Treasurer / Executive Committee); Clem Maddox (Board VP Government Affairs / Executive Committee); and Sheena Payne (Board VP Marketing / Executive Committee).

You do not need to be an AGMA member to send a letter through this campaign. Every voice, every supporter of the dancers of DBDT, matters. We hope you take a further step and encourage friends, family, and colleagues to send a letter as well by sharing this campaign with your network.

Let’s go!

In Solidarity,

The Dancers of DBDT