VISIONS OF THE FUTURE: OUR REFLECTIONS ON BLACK LIVES MATTER

Black lives matter.

We write this to express our anger and grief following the murders of Tanisha Anderson, Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, Michelle Cusseaux, Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells, George Floyd, Janisha Fonville, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Akai Gurley, Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, Tony McDade, Riah Milton, Tamir Rice, Aura Rosser, Alton Sterling, Breonna Taylor, and so many more. We write this thinking of their families, friends, and loved ones. We write this angry that they were taken from our world. We write this angry at how little consequence there has been for those who killed them. We write this aware that this list of names could be so much longer.

We are humbled by how much we have yet to learn about Black history and Black liberation. We are disappointed in ourselves and our society for our failure to dismantle systemic racism. We write this in acute awareness of our own ongoing growth: we must learn to not only speak/write about systemic racism as a theoretical framework, but how to live anti-racist lives personally, inter-personally, and collectively.

We commit: our entire December 2020 issue will be focused on Black Lives Matter and racial justice. This holds us accountable to doing the work, educating ourselves and others, and advocating for the next six months. This is not a postponement, or a pressing “pause”, but rather a commitment to doing sustained work in ourselves and our world.

We thank you in advance for holding us to it.

We’re interested in your thoughts. How are you thinking about and engaging with the Black Lives Matter movement? Do you have suggestions for other actions we could take or perspectives we should incorporate?

Leave ‘em all here, or email us at sixbyeightpress@gmail.com


    Our mission begins with a basic premise: that we are all active participants in a constructed collective we call society — living & breathing actors in the same stage play. In today’s production, we see new opportunities to establish and embrace connections within this collective and realize its potential to grow into a community.

    What is SixByEight Press?

    An online publication consisting of six articles by a rotating team of contributors that discusses & analyzes the latest in arts, culture, and politics through a unique editorial angle rooted in & influenced by theatrical perspectives.

    Who Are We?

    We are first and foremost theater lovers — but also amateurs, professionals, patrons, and participants who believe that this craft provides the language to speak openly & earnestly about society in a manner that promotes honest understanding, connection, and change.

    Why the Name?

    In technical theater speak, a “six by eight” — that is, a 6′ wide by 8′ deep riser — is one of the most common platform sizes used to seat the audience. Hence, if the riser elevates the audience physically in anticipation of the unfolding play, then we at SixByEight Press are committed to elevating the reader/audience emotionally & intellectually in creating & cultivating a platform for critical discourse on current socio-political news & events.

    At SixByEight Press, driven by our shared passion for theater and the human desire for connection & change, we aim to use the tools of theatrical discourse to recognize the roles we play in society in pursuit of our ultimate aim of cultural transformation from individual human actors into an ensemble for humanity.

    • We are not a performance studies journal — though academic topics might guide our discussions.
    • We are not an industry magazine — though news & stories from within the professional theater community might inspire our latest thoughts & reactions.
    • We are not only for those who have a background in theater — though for those who do, you’re with kindred spirits.

    What we are is curiosity, sincerity, authenticity, and — if we’ve done our part — community in its most earnest form.