Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Weekly Advocacy Alert, January 27: Thank you Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Nydia Velazquez for your support!

By Dance/NYC

Weekly Advocacy Alert, January 27:
Thank you Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer and Representative
Nydia Velazquez for your support!

Photo credit: U.S. Senate Photographic Studio/Jeff McEvoy and US House Office of Photography

Thank you to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Nydia Velazquez, who worked tirelessly and successfully to secure aid for New York’s arts and culture sector. New Yorkers for Culture and Arts authored an open letter of thanks which Dance/NYC signed on to.

HOW DANCE/NYC IS ADVOCATING FOR DANCE

Dance/NYC continues to advocate for the dance sector and ensure that dance workers, organizations and businesses can thrive in NYC.

To that end, in 2020, we:

• Launched the public campaign #ArtistsAreNecessaryWorkers demanding the acknowledgement, representation and integration of dance and arts workers into the city’s future post-pandemic.
• Testified at nine (9) City Council hearings and one (1) State Senate hearing on issues impacting the dance sector such as rent relief, impact of COVID-19 on artists, reopening, dance education and the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Signed on to 20 legislative letters in support of matters impacting the arts such as requesting a Secretary of Arts and Culture in the Biden-Harris Administration.
• Signed on to an Open Letter to voice support for calls on Americans for the Arts to increase transparency, accountability, and progress toward racial equity. Hosted 29 weekly field-wide calls including those with policymakers such as Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer and Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Gonzalo Casals.
• Advocated and supported the new Open Culture bill.
• Developed reopening guidelines for the dance sector which are being vetted by City officials and will be released soon.

Currently, Dance/NYC is:

• Meeting with City Officials in support of reopening guidance for the sector.
• Consistently providing testimony at city and state hearings.
• Hosting weekly field-wide calls to support real time information sharing with the metropolitan NYC dance community.
• Preparing to support the execution of the Open Culture bill.
• Supporting broader issue areas that advance the arts and culture ecology towards becoming more just and equitable including policy shifts and justice-driven advocacy around race, immigration and disability.

FEDERAL

1. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 in an Inauguration Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol building. Watch the Inauguration Ceremony and related events on the Biden Presidential Inauguration Committee website. For more information, read Reuters article on coverage of the inauguration.

2. On Friday, a coalition of nonprofit organizations including Dance/NYC sent an initial letter to federal leaders urging Congress and President Biden to enact a package of solutions tailored to the needs and realities of nonprofits. Read the letter sent to the federal leaders. Sign onto the letter to signal to your Representatives and Senators the groundswell of nonprofit support.

SIGN ON

3. The Biden-Harris Administration introduced and is pushing its $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan, American Rescue Plan, to provide more pandemic relief to businesses, nonprofit organizations, states, local governments, families, and individual workers.

NEW YORK STATE

1. Open enrollment for uninsured New Yorkers is extended through March 31. New Yorkers can apply for coverage through the NY State of Health, New York's Official Health Plan Marketplace, or directly through insurers. Learn more about coverage options available at New York State of Health.

2. Governor Cuomo made an update to unemployment for part-time workers. He announced that part-time workers can now base their unemployment claims on the hours they work in a week and NOT the days.

NEW YORK CITY

1. The fiscal year 2022 Discretionary Funding Expense Application filing period is open through February 16. The City of New York awards billions of dollars to nonprofit organizations to deliver critical programs and services to communities across the City. Make sure to apply for your organization to be eligible for these funds.

2. COVID-19 Updates

a. The "Am I Eligible" web application helps New Yorkers determine if they are eligible to get the vaccine. The Gothamist published a Guide to Getting Vaccinated.
b. The statewide positivity rate was 5.47%.
c. State COVID zone restrictions remain in effect in certain parts of the city. To find out where the zones are and to see what restrictions apply to each zone, please visit www.nyc.gov/covidzone.
d. Download the COVID Alert NY app today!
e. Remember to follow the “core four”—wear a mask, wash your hands, practice social distancing, stay home if you’re sick—and get tested! For information on free testing, personal protective equipment, and more, visit the NYC Mayor's Office Coronavirus page.

3. Engaging in community action in support of dance workers? Submit to be listed on the #ArtistsAreNecessaryWorkers Campaign Activations page. Visit the page for events, actions, and platforms that are independently led by the NYC dance community.

4. Dance/NYC hosts weekly dance field-wide calls to address our questions, needs, and plans for the future as a field. Calls are Thursdays from 4:00 pm. – 5:00 p.m. Register here.

5. For the ongoing Coronavirus Dance Impact Study, Dance/NYC is tracking studio & company temporary and permanent closures to gain a better understanding of the financial impact the pandemic is taking on the dance sector. This data will be used to better document this historic time and to be able to advocate for aid to policymakers. Please email any closures that you know of in the dance community to research@dance.nyc. You do not need to be in charge of the organization to send a notification as Dance/NYC works to compile a list of closures.