Thursday, April 29, 2021

Weekly Advocacy Alert, April 29: Make Arts Education a Core Subject in New York State!

By Dance/NYC

Note: Moving forward the Dance/NYC Advocacy Alerts will be shared bi-weekly. The next advocacy alert will be disseminated on May 12.

Although the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) outlines that the arts are a critical component of a child’s education, New York is one of only 19 states that does not consider the arts a core curriculum subject. Given the lack of compliance with current arts education teaching requirements, New York City Arts in Education Roundtable is asking everyone to contact their elected official to support S4525 (sponsored by Senator Rachel May) and A1788 (sponsorship by Assemblymember Kimberly Jean-Pierre). These bills would put arts education on par with other required New York State education curriculum subjects.

Use New York City Arts in Education Roundtable website to send letters to your elected officials.

SEND LETTERS TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

NATIONAL

1. Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program relaunched Monday April 24. Here is a sample template that may be helpful with the application process. Use the checklist to make sure you have everything you need to complete your application. Review additional resources at sba.gov/svogrant such as the applicant user guide and new FAQs updated April 23. The SBA is encouraging applicants to reach out to various resource partners across the nation for assistance. Timely information is being provided on the SBA Twitter account and SBA will continue to update its SVOG webpage with additional updates and information.

2. The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation designed to more forcefully investigate hate crimes, particularly those against Asian Americans amid a wave of violence against that community, The Washington Post reports.

NEW YORK STATE

1. The statewide eviction moratorium is set to expire May 1. New York has yet to allocate crucial rent relief through a new $2.4 billion assistance program funded by the federal government, the Queens Daily Eagle reports. Contact your elected officials and ask them to support rent relief.

2. New York loses a single seat in Congress by just 89 people as Census releases reapportionment figures, NY Daily News reports.

NEW YORK CITY

1. Take the Dance/NYC Coronavirus Dance Impact Part 3 Today! Help Dance/NYC continue to advocate for your needs. If you are a dance worker or dance making organization, please take the Coronavirus Dance Impact Survey part 3 today. The survey should take about 15 minutes of your time. If you are an individual dance worker and also run an organization or fiscally sponsored group you are welcome to take both to ensure your experiences are represented in the data. You can take this survey whether or not you have participated in previous surveys. Please share with your networks using this toolkit.

CORONAVIRUS DANCE IMPACT SURVEY PART 3

2. Attend Arts Workers March & Rally on Saturday May 8. Leaders, organizers and volunteers are needed. Sign up to participate and support. Share the facebook event.

3. Apply to the New York Public Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division Dance Research Fellowship. Fellowship stipends are $7,500 and the research period is July 1–December 31.

4. Documented will be hosting a panel discussion on April 29 to talk about how Manhattan’s Chinatown has suffered throughout the pandemic. Registration required.

5. COVID-19 Updates

• The Broadway Vaccination Site (ATC Vaccination Times Square) for arts and cultural workers is now taking appointment requests online or by calling 877-829-4692. The Actors Fund is supporting making appointments. Call 917-281-5937 or email vaccines@actorsfund.org.
• Find other 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 State's website. All City-run sites now accept walk-ins for all above 16 years old, no appointment needed.
• The statewide positivity rate was 2.95% and 43.4% of New Yorkers have had at least one vaccination dose.
• Download the COVID Alert NY app and Excelsior App today!
• 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.

6. 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.

7. Dance/NYC hosts weekly dance field-wide calls. The call addresses questions, needs, and plans for the future of the field. Calls are Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Be sure to register.

8. 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.

UPCOMING ELECTIONS

1. Register for 2021 Nonprofit Mayoral Forum on May 7 from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Co-hosted by Advocacy Institute, Human Services Council, Nonprofit NY, and 2021 Nonprofit Agenda Project Coalition (Dance/NYC is a member) and in partnership with City & State. Submit your questions for the candidates.

2. Attend New Yorkers for Culture and Arts is hosting City Council Forums. Staten Island Districts 49, 50, 51 is on April 29 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

3. 2021 Mayoral Forums – The People's Plan NYC. This page compiles all forums and debates for the 2021 Mayoral race. Here, you can find the dates, sponsors, video recordings, twitter summaries, and press coverage for all forums that have already happened. You can also find dates, sponsors, and registration information for upcoming forums.

4. Attend Asian American Community Mayoral Candidates Forum on May 4 at 5:15 p.m. Hosted by the Asian American Arts Alliance in collaboration with the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and 34 other Asian American community based organizations. The forum will be simultaneously interpreted into Bengali, Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin. A recording of the forum will be released in additional Asian languages following the event.