Dance/NYC is working with our constituents, partner organizations, nonprofit coalitions, and in alliance with Dance/USA to conduct city, state and federal level advocacy on behalf of the dance community during this crisis. Here are some updates:

FEDERAL 
 

1. Be an #ArtsHero is an intersectional grassroots campaign comprised of Arts & Culture workers, Unions, and institutions in the United States pushing the Senate to allocate proportionate relief to the Arts & Culture sector of the American economy.
     a. Follow and Amplify Be an #ArtsHero on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
    b. Download and share Be an #ArtsHero’s social media images.
    c. Learn more at https://beanartshero.com

2. Defend Arts Workers Now (DAWN) Bill: This bill authorizes the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the Small Business Administration (SBA) $43.85 billion to make grants to the operators, employees, and artists of live venues, recording venues, cultural spaces, and related businesses to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on all Arts Workers across the national Arts Economy. Specifically, the NEA, NEH, IMLS, CPB, and SBA may make an initial grant to individual and institutional applicants based on costs incurred between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 at a full 100%. A supplemental grant that is 75% may be used for expenses incurred through June 30, 2021.
     a. Learn more at beanartshero.com
     b. Sign the Open Letter to the Senators of the 116th U.S. Congress.
     c. Find and contact your senators here.

3. Eviction Moratorium: On September 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an “Agency Order” implementing the President’s executive order on assistance of renters and homeowners. The order provides a blanket eviction ban through the end of the year covering nearly all residential renters. It expressly states, “This Order is a temporary eviction moratorium to prevent the further spread of COVID-19,” thus explaining why the CDC is the governmental entity issuing the order. Renters will still owe the accumulating rent and landlords can still evict individuals engaging in illegal activities.
 

STATE
 

1. Absentee ballot portal: On September 1st, Governor Cuomo announced the launch of New York's absentee ballot portal where voters can directly request an absentee ballot for the upcoming November 3rd election.

2. Sign the Open Letter from NYC Small Business Owners to State and City Leaders: The Western Queens Small Business Coalition has written an open letter to NYS Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl M. Heastie, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Council Speaker Corey Johnson regarding urgent matters threatening small businesses. 
     a. Join the Rally and Press Conference: Thursday, September 10, 2020; 10:00 a.m. EST; Newton Road and 30th Avenue, in Astoria, Queens. 
     b. Sign the Open Letter
 

NEW YORK CITY 
 

1. Take the Census: 
     a. There are only 5 weeks left to complete the census and New York City’s response rate is only at 58%. If you don’t take the census, the city will not receive sufficient federal funding to support its citizens. Please complete the Census if you have not already!
     b. If you have already completed the census, please take 10 minutes to email, text, or call family and friends - especially those in NYC - to ensure that they have also filled it out. Complete the Census by September 30 at www.my2020census.gov

2. The Creative Justice Initiative has developed a national survey to gather information from small and mid-sized cultural organizations grounded in historically marginalized communities. The Achieving Cultural Equity survey is a call for equitable funding and active involvement of community-grounded experts in constructing a new system of social equity, including within philanthropy. The organizers encourage ALAANA arts and cultural organizations within the Mosaic Network to complete the survey no later than Thursday, September 10. Please share it with others in your networks as well.

3. Testify at City Council Rental Assistance and Source of Income Discrimination Hearing: New York City Council Committee on Civil and Humna Rights will be hosting a hearing on Rental Assistance and Source of Income Discrimination on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 10:00 .am. EST.  
     a. Learn more at legistar.council.nyc.gov
     b. Register to offer testimony. Please note members of the public can sign up to testify at virtual public hearings via Zoom Web and/or via Phone at least 24 hours in advance of hearing. Written testimony may be submitted up to 72 hours after the hearing has been adjourned.

 

FROM THE FIELD 
 

1. Tune in: We Decide: Arts, Culture, and Voting Power. On Monday, September 14, Join Arts & Democracy and The U.S. Department of Arts and Culture to learn about inspiring nonpartisan programs in both urban and rural communities related to the election and census, with a focus on historically disenfranchised communities. Learn more and register here.

2. Tune in: NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment present Culture in Public Spaces: A Webinar with Outdoor Event Permitting Agencies on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at 3:00pm. Learn more and RSVP for free by September 14.
 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 
 

• Dance/NYC Coronavirus Preparedness Resources.
• Dance/NYC Racial Justice Resources 
• Dance/NYC Sexual Harassment Resources 
• Join the movement: #ArtistsAreNecessaryWorkers. 
• Dance/NYC hosts weekly dance field-wide calls to address our questions, needs, and plans for the future as a field. Calls occur every Thursday, 4:00 pm. – 5:00 p.m. Register!

Visit dance.nyc/news for more information.