Friends,

I am reminded of Shakespeare’s words: “When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.” I grieve as our city struggles with the senseless murder of yet another unarmed black man, even as we continue to grieve the global pandemic that has cost so many lives and destroyed so many dreams.

Starting today the Guthrie will run the words “George Floyd” on one of our rooftop LED signs, and “Nothing can be changed until it is faced” on another. The full line “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” was written by the brilliant James Baldwin. We are making this change in acknowledgment and support of our black community members who are suffering the trauma of continued, relentless, systemic racism. We know and have said before that systemic biases require systemic solutions, and we have a role to play in offering our commitment to the black community and in taking a stance against such profound injustice.

It is hard (for me at least) not to feel utterly defeated in such a terrible time, but we will remain committed to our values, we will rise in solidarity with those who seek the light of justice, and we will move forward as one community.

Joseph Haj
Artistic Director

May 30, 2020