PNB's Anti-Racism Action Plan | Pacific Northwest Ballet

This page includes PNB’s Commitment to Racial Justice, Our Action Steps, and a list of Anti-Racism Resources.
Click here to read our Racial Equity Statement.

Our Commitment

As we witness repeated injustice and persistent inequities in our country and world, and as we see racial injustice called out in all its manifestations in our society, Pacific Northwest Ballet wants our patrons and supporters to know we stand in complete solidarity with our Black and Brown performers, students, colleagues, and community, and with those who experience discrimination and prejudice.

We acknowledge when we look at systemic racism, we must start by looking in the mirror, and at our own systems. When a child enters our ballet studios or McCaw Hall and doesn’t see any one who looks like them in the class, in the front of the room, on staff, or on stage, how welcome do they feel? Though our commitment to this issue is longstanding, we have more work to do. PNB is committed to dismantling systemic racism in our institution. We believe that everyone deserves to feel safe, welcomed, and represented.

Please read on to learn about the concrete steps PNB plans to make in the coming weeks and months, and to see a list of resources we’ve compiled to help PNB and our community make real and lasting change.

Action Steps

Understanding that every individual at PNB must uphold our organizational commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, we are committed to giving PNB’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee additional resources to expand its work across our organization and the larger PNB community.

Executive Director Ellen Walker and Artistic Director Peter Boal, will continue to build upon their work with The Equity Project.

Over the past 10 days we have reiterated our commitment to our Black and Brown colleagues, students, and community members on social media, in meetings with staff, company dancers, board, and faculty, and in email communications to all PNB School families. This dialogue will continue.

We will further engage and employ experts outside of our staff to help inform PNB’s equity work. Additionally, we recognize we have powerful voices within PNB who are being heard and who are a vital part of our growth as a company and school. Click here to watch the first episode of “PNB Is Listening”, a new video series that highlights these important voices.

We are committed to PNB School’s DanceChance and Community Education teams to increase equity and access to ballet training for young people.

Build upon our commitment to diversifying our organization by engaging more Black and Brown dancers, students, teachers, choreographers, contributors, musicians, and artists while recognizing we are stronger with diverse voices represented throughout our institution.