Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Weekly Advocacy Alert, March 3: Work to End Anti-Asian Violence!

By Dance/NYC

Weekly Advocacy Alert , March 3:
Work to End Anti-Asian Violence!

In light of the horrific anti-Asian attacks, Dance/NYC is including several resources below that outline actionable steps you can take to defuse conflict, de-escalate dangerous situations, and support Asian members of our community. Dance/NYC condemns the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination that was fueled by the onset of the COVID-19 crisis and the racist rhetoric disseminated across the media and in government.

We support our colleagues at the Asian American Federation and Asian American Arts Alliance in their call for:

1) Support of the efforts of trusted Asian-led, Asian-serving organizations to centralize the reporting of incidents in order to connect victims to services they need.
2) Investment in community-based safety measures to allow Asian organizations to coordinate a safety ambassador program to ensure more immediate safety in the streets.
3) The provision of recovery services in Asian languages to help victims heal from the trauma.
4) Increased access to mental health services for all communities to reduce harm.

Resources:

a. Learn about the harm caused, through journal articles, and Asian American news sources and/or read this New York Times article.
b. Practice and learn bystander intervention and sign up for trainings through Hollaback! and Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Read this upstander document.
c. Download and use Stay Safe from Hate: How to Protect Yourself in Threatening Situations from Asian American Federation.
d. Donate to or participate with Asian arts and nonprofit organizations such as Asian American Arts Alliance.

FEDERAL

1. The House passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. This advances a sweeping pandemic aid package that would provide billions of dollars for unemployed Americans, struggling families and businesses, schools and the distribution of coronavirus vaccines, The New York Times reports. The bill will go to the U.S. Senate for its consideration.

2. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.5, the Equality Act, on February 25 by a vote of 224-206. The bill amends various federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in the areas, including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation. The bill also allows the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill will go to the U.S. Senate for its consideration.

3. Americans for the Arts (AFTA) call to action! Use their Arts Action Alert to Urge Support for the Arts in COVID Relief Legislation to fund specific economic relief programs for the arts, ranging from Small Business Administration (SBA) and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding to health care coverage and education. AFTA is also asking nonprofits to endorse the Put Creative Workers to Work policy plan. Co-developed by over 100 organizations, this policy proposes steps for the current administration to activate the creative economy in our national recovery strategy.

4. For two weeks, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is only accepting applications from businesses with fewer than 20 employees. This is an effort to make sure federal funds are reserved for sole-proprietors and small employers. If your business employs fewer than 20 employees, we encourage you to consider applying during this 2-week window so your application will be prioritized. The SBA is also hosting the following webinar PPP series:

a. March 3 at 12:30 p.m. ET for Women Business Owners, Click here to register.
b. March 4 at 3:00 p.m. ET for Asian-American and Pacific Islander, Native American and Tribal Small Business Owners; Click here to register.
c. March 5 at 1:00 p.m. ET for Black and African-American Small Business Owners, Click here to register.
d. March 5 at 3:00 p.m. ET for Hispanic and Latino/a/x Small Business Owners, Click here to register.
e. March 6 at 2:00 p.m. ET for Veterans, Self-Employed Business Owners, Click here to register.
f. March 8 at 3:00 p.m. ET for LGTBQ Business Owners, Youth Entrepreneurs, Restaurant Owners, Click here to register.

5. Dance/USA is currently accepting applications for the Dance/USA 2021 Institute for Leadership Training. The goal of the program is to build the leadership and resiliency skills of early-career dance leaders who represent the diversity of the national, professional dance community. The deadline for early-career dance leaders to apply is March 10.

6. Small Business Administration (SBA) posted the most recently updated FAQs for the Shuttered Venues Operating Grant (SVOG), formerly known as Save our Stages (SOS) this week. The SVOG offers emergency assistance for eligible venues affected by the COVID pandemic. Also find a PDF version here.

7. Join the US Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC), in partnership with MassCreative and The Theater Offensive for the 2021 People’s State of the Union to show Arts are Essential! Download the toolkit, then visit the USDAC website, where you can participate in trainings, read FAQs, and get more information on how to participate in the digital story circle. USDAC is collecting and sharing stories from across the country, if you share your story on Instagram or Twitter, be sure to use one of the following hashtags: #PSOTU2021 #PeoplesStateOfTheUnion2021 #ArtsAreEssential #ArtKeepsUsSafe

NEW YORK STATE

1. New York State LGBTQI Virtual Advocacy Day is on Tuesday, April 6. Advocacy Day is a chance to virtually meet 300+ LGBTQI individuals and allies from around the state. Collectively advocating for policies that will lead to a more equitable state for all LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, and Intersex) New Yorkers.

2. Applications for the 2021 Spring LGBTQI Advocacy Institute cohort are now open. The LGBTQI Advocacy Institute is a joint program run by Equality New York and NYC Pride & Power.

NEW YORK CITY

1. The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and Americans for the Arts (AFTA) survey: COVID-19 Impact on NYC Culture deadline has been extended to March 8th. Please note that Americans for the Arts' national survey will remain open after that, but in order for your organization to be included in the New York City cultural impact analysis, you'll have to complete the survey by the end of March 8. This survey will build on the DCLA report from last year, which captured the impact of the earliest days of the pandemic on NYC’s arts and cultural organizations. It should take about 30 minutes to complete. For planning purposes, you can review a PDF of the survey questions here. Here's a tool kit to help spread the word.

TAKE THE SURVEY FOR ORGANIZATIONS

TAKE THE SURVEY FOR INDIVIDUALS

2. Two-thirds of New York City’s arts and recreation jobs have been lost to the pandemic. Museums, parks, and theaters as well as sports and recreational businesses have been more impacted than any other economic sector in the city according to a report released by the New York state Comptroller’s office, The New York Times reports.

3. "I Still Believe in Our City" is a public awareness campaign by multidisciplinary artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, developed in collaboration with the NYC Commission on Human Rights with support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. The campaign is both a celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander communities’ contributions to our city and a demand to stop anti-Asian racism and violence. We encourage all New Yorkers to report bias crimes and learn about ways to help, to send the right messages, and encourage victims to come forward by visiting nyc.gov/stopasianhate or by calling 212-416-0197.

4. The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) has launched Fair Share NYC, offering free webinars, 1-on-1 support, technical assistance and access to lenders to help businesses interested in applying for PPP loans. Need help finding a PPP lender? Check out this list of Community Development Financial Institutions accepting applications. For more information, visit nyc.gov/PPP or call 888-SBS-4NYC to learn about Fair Share NYC.

5. March 1 the applications for Open Culture became available. Open Culture is a new permit type available from the Mayor’s Street Activity Permit Office allowing for ticketed performances. Arts and cultural institutions, as well as entertainment venues, will have the opportunity to secure a permit for single day, socially distanced performances at over 100 street locations throughout all five boroughs. Open Culture Guidelines, List of Open Culture Spaces and new FAQs.

6. The Cultural Solidarity Fund application is open until March 5 at 9 p.m. The Cultural Solidarity Fund will open with $100,000 distributing an initial 200 $500 relief micro-grants to individual artists and cultural workers based in New York City. Access the applications here.

7. Curtains Up NYC continues to offer free webinars three times per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) to review the guidelines and application process for the federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), also known as Save Our Stages. Trained counselors are available for virtual, 1-on-1 sessions. Curtains Up NYC provides free technical assistance to live-performance venues, businesses, and non-profit organizations applying for federal assistance to help them put forward the strongest application. Information is available on the Curtains Up NYC webpage or 888-SBS-4NYC. In addition, the federal government posted a training video on SAM registration. SAM registration is necessary to apply for the federal grant, and processing can take two weeks—so don’t wait.

8. The fund for the City of New York is currently accepting applications for its Cultural Arts Capital Loan Fund through March 31. This loan initiative provides bridge financing to assist small to mid-sized nonprofit cultural arts organizations with their capital project expenses, with a priority to groups that have capital grants from the Borough President, City of New York and the Department of Cultural Affairs.

9. Invest In Our NY Act is holding an informational event for arts and cultural workers on March 3 at 7:00 p.m. to learn more and get empowered to Save the Arts in NY. Register for the event here.

10. Join the Asian American Arts Alliance for their Performing Arts and Advocacy Town Hall. The event is on March 23 at 6:30 p.m.

11. COVID-19 Updates

a. Researchers found that a new form of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in New York City.
b. Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine works safely, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
c. Eligible New Yorkers can find vaccination locations and make appointments online at vaccinefinder.nyc.gov or by calling 877-VAX4NYC for assistance in multiple languages. For the latest information, please consult the City’s Vaccine Command Center and continue to check the State's website for the full list of eligible groups.
d. NYC health officials are now recommending you wear two masks.
e. The statewide positivity rate was 2.85%.
f. 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.
g. Download the COVID Alert NY app today!
h. 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.

12. 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.

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

14. 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.