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We, the undersigned from the cultural sector of the North East, declare that silence is not ok and silence is seen as complicity. Racism has no place in a just and humane society.

Whilst we cannot undo pain and neglect, we are calling on all of us in the arts, cultural, heritage sectors; professional and voluntary to work together to address racism and its deep roots. We must listen, have conversations and most importantly act, we know we need to do better. Everyone is part of the solution – artists, staff, trustees, partners, promoters, audiences and communities.

We want to tackle this together in sharing better understanding and practices. We stand united to bring about change in our thinking and actions as a collective of organisations and individuals.

In the weeks and months to come we will collectively act to build on this statement with concrete steps and actions to demonstrate our commitment to bringing about real change. We ask you to stand with us.

We contacted as many organisations and individuals we could in a short space of time. Apologies if you were not contacted and we ask you to join us now.

If you would like to join us in these future conversations please contact any of the points of contacts listed below:

Alphabetti Theatre
Signee: Ali Pritchard, Artistic/Executive Director
Contact: Ali Pritchard, ali@alphabettitheatre.co.uk

Ampersand Inventions
Signees: Jonpaul Kirvan FRSA / Peter Marchal, Directors
Contact: contact@ampersandinventions.com

The Angelou Centre
Signee: Rosie Lewis, Deputy Director & VAWG Services Manager

Anna Robinson
Sceneographer
Contact: anna.fkrobinson@gmail.com

ARC Stockton
Signee: Annalbel Turpin
Contact: Annabel.Turpin@arconline.co.uk

Arts&Heritage
Stephanie Allen, Executive Director
Contact: info@artsandheritage.org.uk

Assembly Rooms Theatre Durham
Signee: Kate Barton
Contact: theatre.manager@durham.ac.uk

balletLORENT
Signee: Lic Lorent
Contact: liv@balletlorent.com

Blowin’ A Hooley Theatre
Contact: hooleytheatre@gmail.com

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
Signee: Sarah Munro, Director
Contact: Caroline Murphy, carolinem@balticmill.com

Beverley Prevatt Goldstein
Contact: beverleyprevattgoldstein@gmail.com

Ben Dickenson
Contact: benji.dickenson@gmail.com
Executive Producer, City of Dreams / Associate Literary Producer Alphabetti

Brash
Signee: Bethan Kitchen, Artistic Director
Contact: bethan@brash-events.co.uk

Camisado Club
Signee: Caroline Liversidge, Camisado Club
Contact: info@camisadoclub.co.uk

Centre for Life, Newcastle
Signee: Linda Conlon
Contact: Louise Richardson, louise.richardson@life.org.uk

Cobalt Studios
Contact: hello@cobaltstudios.co.uk

Company of Others
Signee: Nadia Iftkhar, Artistic Director & CEO
Contact: Nadia Iftkhar, nadia@companyofothers.org.uk

Coracle Productions
Signee: Matt Jamie, Artistic Director Contact: Coracletheatre@gmail.com

Curious Arts
Signee: Phil Douglas, Director
Contact: Ellie Puckering, ellie@curiousarts.org.uk

Curious Monkey
Signee: Amy Golding
Contact: amy@curiousmonkeytheatre.com

Creative Seed
Contact: Sandy and Garner Harris, Founding Directors

D6 Culture in Transit
Clymene Christoforou, Director

Dance City
Signee: Phil Douglas
Contact: Phil Douglas, phil.douglas@dancecity.co.uk

Degna Stone
Poet and editor

Disconsortia
Signee: Lisette Auton, Co-founding Member
Contact: disconsortia@gmail.com

East Durham Creates
Signees: Malcolm Fallow and Jess Hunt
Contact: jess.hunt@eastdurhamtrust.org.uk

Eliot Smith Dance (ESD)
Signee: Eliot Smith, Artistic Director
Contact: eliot@eliotsmithdance.com

Elizabeth Kane
Artist
Contact: Ekvisualartist@outlook.com

Ednie Wilson
Gateshead

Gateway Studio CIO
Signee: Martin Hylton, Artistic Director/CEO
Contact: Martin Hylton, martin.hylton@gatewaystudioproject.co.uk

GemArts
Signee: Vikas Kumar MBE, Director
Contact: Vikas Kumar, vikas@gemarts.org

Gobscure
Signee: Sean Burn
Contact: gobscure@posteo.net

Gosforth Civic Theatre
Contact: info@gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk

Harambee Pasadia CIC
Signee: Hannabiell Sanders
Contact: Hannabiell Sanders, hannabiells@gmail.com

Kitchen Zoo
Signee: Bob Nicholson
Contact: info.kitchenzoo@gmail.com

Ladies of Midnight Blue
Signee: Yilis Suriel
Point of contact: Yilis Suriel, yilissuriel@gmail.com

The Letter Room
Signees: Meghan Doyle and Stan Hodgson, Co-Artistic Directors
Contact: info@theletterroomtheatre.co.uk

Little Cog
Signee: Vici Wreford-Sinnott, Artistic Director
Contact: viciws1@yahoo.co.uk

Live Theatre
Signee: Jim Bernie, Chief Executive
Contact: joe@live.org.uk

Luxi
Signee: Caroline Pearce
Contact: cp@luxicreative.co.uk

Melody Sproates
Artist/Performer
Contact: melodysproates@hotmail.com

Mortal Fools
Signee: Kiz Crosbie, Artistic Director/CEO
Contact: kiz@mortalfools.org.uk

The NewBridge Project
Signee: Rebecca Huggan, Director
Contact: r.huggan@thenewbridgeproject.com

New Writing North
Claire Malcolm, Chief Executive
Contact: Claire Malcolm, office@newwritingnorth.com

Newcastles of the World
Signee: David Faulkner
Contact: newcastlesoftheworld@gmail.com

Newcastle City Council Arts Team
Signee: Cllr Ged Bell (Cabinet Member for Culture)
Contact: Jim Mawdsley, Arts and Culture Senior Advisor, Jim.Mawdsley@newcastle.gov.uk

Newcastle Theatre Royal
Signee: Philip Bernays, Chief Executive

Newcastle University
Signee: Professor Julie Sanders, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Contact: Julie.sanders@ncl.ac.uk

Northern Roots
Signee: Adam Collerton, Director
Contact: adam@northern-roots.org.uk

Northern Stage
Signee: Kate Denby, Executive Director
Contact: Mark Calvert, MCalvert@northernstage.co.uk

OGRE
Contact: Steven Walker, Creative Director

Open Clasp
Signees: Joint Chief Executives Catrina McHugh MBE / Ellie Turner
Contacts: catrina@openclasp.org.uk, ellie@openclasp.org.uk

Orbis
Signees: Jonpaul Kirvan FRSA, Paul Stone, Chris Yeats

Origin Moko Jumbies
Signee: Alan Vaughan
Contact: alanpvaughan@gmail.com

Prometheus Foundation CIC
Contact: Dot Owston

Ruth Johnson
Director, Performer and Theatre-Maker

Sangini
Signee: Padma Rao

Sage Gateshead
Signee: Abigail Pogson, Director
Contact: Wendy Smith, wendy.smith@sagegateshead.com

Seven Stories
Signee: John Coburn
Contact: Amanda Beckham, amanda.beckham@sevenstories.org.uk

Skimstone Arts
Signee: Claire Webster-Saaramets, Director
Contact: Claire Webster-Saaramets, claire@skimstone.org.uk

Slugtown
Signees: Max Lee and Matt Antoniak, Co-directors

Summer Streets Festival
Signee: Ross Millard
Contact: hello@summerstreetsfestival.com

Streetwise Young People’s Project
Signee: Mandy Coppin (Taylor)

Sunderland Culture
Signee: Graeme Thompson
Contact: graeme.thompson@sunderland.ac.uk

Sunderland Music Hub
Signee: Lizzie Nixon
Contact: sunderland.music@togetherforchildren.org.uk

Susan Ashley
AHRC Researcher
Contact: susan.ashley@northumbria.ac.uk

Dr. Tina Gharavi
Creative Director, Bridge+Tunnel
Senior Lecturer in English: Digital Media/Film, Newcastle University

Tees Valley Arts
Signee: James Beighton, Executive Director
Contact: james@teesvalleyarts.org.uk

Theatre Hullabaloo
Signess : Miranda Thain, Chief Executive & Artistic Producer
Contact : mirandathain@theatrehullabaloo.org.uk

The Six Twenty
Signess : Melanie Rashbrooke, Artistic Director
Contact : thesixtwenty@gmail.com

Thinking Practice
Signee: Mark Robinson
Contact: info@thinkingpractice.co.uk

Tyneside Cinema
Signee: Holli Keeble, Chief Executive Officer
Contact: Holli Keeble, Holli.Keeble@tynesidecinema.co.uk

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
Signee: Iain Watson, Director
Contact: Bill Griffiths, bill.griffiths@twmuseums.org.uk

Tyne and Wear Cultural Freelancers
Signee: Leila d’Aronville
Contact: Leila d’Aronville, Leila.daronville@gmail.com

Twisterella Festival
Signees: Andy Carr and Henry Carden
Contact: info@twisterella.co.uk

Unfolding Theatre
Signees: Michael Barrass, Alex Elliott, Garry Lydon, Annie Rigby and Luca Rutherford
Contact: annie@unfoldingtheatre.co.uk

VAMOS!
Signee: Nikolas Barrera
Contact: nikolasbarrera@gmail.com

Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir
Signees: Mathapelo Imarhiagbe, Chinyere Igun, Glen Smiley

Waka Waka Africa North East
Signee: David Fualkner
Contact: wakawakaafricanortheast@sky.com

Yvette Ja Hawkins
Visual Artist
Contact: yvettehawkins@gmail.com

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