Our signature Impact Projects bring together best-in-class artists, advocates and policy experts to combine their talents to channel stories for impact on specific policy issues ranging from education equity within New York City’s public schools to the inhumane treatment of incarcerated New Yorkers during the COVID pandemic.
Past initiatives have included:
THE FLORES EXHIBITS
Created by Waterwell and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, this video project was part of Project Amplify's national campaign to bring visibility to the testimonies of migrant children and young adults held in detention at the U.S. / Mexico border.
The Flores Exhibits aims to influence systemic change in our immigration policies through narrative-driven advocacy. It is designed as another way for the American public to understand the details of how U.S. immigration policy negatively affects immigrant children, young adults and young mothers with children.
The project was created in partnership with the Immigrants' Rights Clinic and the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School.
Inspired by the initial event that launched BAC, our #BwayforBLM Forum in June 2020 created a space for the theater industry to gather and hear honest stories about the ways that systemic racism had historically shown up on Broadway and provide tools to building a more equitable and safe space for all.
VIRAL MONOLOGUES
Devised in partnership with the renowned theater company 24 Hour Plays and on the ground advocates like the RAPP Campaign and Zealous, the stories of incarcerated Americans navigating the COVID pandemic at its height were brought to life by writers like Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and activst Deray McKesson and actors including Aja Naomi King and Tony-Nominee Ato Blankson Wood.
The stories, created in direct collaboration with those sharing their stories, allowed citizens across the country to understand the pain and anguish experiences not just by those on the inside but their family, their friends and those fighting to get them out.
GASPING FOR JUSTICE
After local prosecutors and judges in Prince George's County, Maryland, and a federal judge ignored the sworn declarations of those caged inside Prince George's County jail pleading for relief from horrific conditions as COVID spread, a national coalition of advocates and performers organized by Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Zealous joined forces to read their words so more people would hear them. Including artists like Jesse Williams, Fiona Apple, and Alec Baldwin, Gasping for Justice amplified over 60 of these witness statements to demand leaders to take immediate action and hold those actors accountable.
Learn more in this WNYC piece.