New York -- Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, has issued a statement in response to Georgia’s new voting laws, which, among other changes to the election system, drastically reduce the ability to vote by mail-in ballot and reduce measures that can shorten lines at polling places.
“We see this new law for what it is: a shameful and racist attempt to silence Black voices and Black voters,” said Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity Association. “The people of Georgia, to say nothing of the Equity members who live and work there, deserve better.”
Background: Last June, Equity’s council issued a Black Lives Matter statement, asserting that the union “values inclusion, and commits itself to being aggressive and responsive in achieving equity for all its members.”
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks
April 16, 2021
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