Broadway’s ‘Hamilton’, ‘Hadestown’ Speak Out Against Racism, White Supremacy: Lin-Manuel Miranda Calls Previous Silence “Moral Failure”
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Update, with Broadway League statement The companies of Hamilton, Hadestown and What the Constitution Means To Me are among the Broadway voices speaking out on the issues that have filled city streets across America with protest.
In one among a series of Tweets from the Hamilton company, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda apologizes on video for Hamilton‘s not taking an official stand before now, noting that the company was quick to make its opinions known after the Pulse shootings at a gay club in Florida and when Vice President Mike Pence attended a Broadway performance of Hamilton.
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See the tweets below.
“That we have not yet firmly spoken the inarguable truth that Black Lives Matter and denounced systemic racism and white supremacy from our official Hamilton channels is a moral failure on our part,” Miranda said. Hamilton, Miranda continues, “doesn’t exist without the black and brown artists who created and revolutionized and changed the world through the culture, music, and language of hip hop. It doesn’t exist without the brilliant black and brown artists in our cast, crew, and production team who breathe life into this story every time its performed.”
“I’m sorry for not pushing harder and faster and speaking those truths under the Hamilton banner,” Miranda says in the video, adding, “While we live in a country where black people are under attack by emboldened white supremacy, police brutality and centuries of systemic anti-black racism, it’s up to us in words and deeds to stand up for our fellow citizens, it’s up to us to do the work to be better allies and have each other’s backs.”
Miranda’s tweet, along with an accompanying video by Hamilton producer Jeffery Seller, provides links to Black Lives Matter, the NAACP and the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
Hadestown, the Tony-winning hit Broadway musical written by Ana?s Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, tweeted a statement reading, in part, “We acknowledge the systems of white supremacy and injustice that have led us to this moment and we are resolved to change the course of history moving forward. We, as a company, are raising our voices in support of change, to fundamentally alter the systems that have led to the hate, division and intolerance that we are witnessing today.”
The Hadestown company also provides links to organizations, including Black Lives Matter, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, Reclaim the Block and the website Dismantling Racism Works.
The company of What the Constitution Means to Me – the Heidi Schreck play that ran on Broadway last year and plans a national tour – announced a donation of $6,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and encouraged others to do likewise “to fight the continuing racism, inequality, and violence against black people in the United States.”
The Broadway League, representing producers and theater owners, released a statement Sunday morning calling stating, in part, “Black lives matter, and the members of The Broadway League are committed to providing a safe space where these stories can be shared. We strive to open doors, hearts and minds that will lead to understanding, action and change.”
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