Initially a hashtag, but now a global movement, #BlackLivesMatter emerged as a response to the 2013 acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murder. With the mission to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes, the global network is expansive, affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folx, as well as Black peoples' humanity. But, what is the role of the arts in advancing #BlackLivesMatter? That is the central question this webinar will explore by engaging artists from dance, music, theatre, and visual art.

Moderator:
Antonio C. Cuyler, Professor of Music in Entrepreneurship & Leadership in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan

Panelists:
Lawrence M. Jackson, Associate Professor in the School of Dance at George Mason University

Alysia Lee, President of the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund; Founder and Artistic Director of Sister Cities Girlchoir; and Choral Composer

Joshua Rashaad McFadden, Assistant Professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology

Ayvaunn Penn, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Texas Christian University

Joel Thompson, Composer, Pianist, Conductor, and Educator