Thursday, August 3, 2023

Solidarity and Collective Action for O’Shae Sibley

By Dance/NYC

Dear Dance Community,

We write to you today with profound sorrow to acknowledge the tragic murder of dancer O’Shae Sibley following an attack outside of a Brooklyn gas station on Saturday night. He was a beloved member of the Vogue and Ballroom community in NYC, a devoted and cherished student of the Ailey Extension program, and a former apprentice of Philadanco!’s D/2 company. As we mourn O’Shae, we invite you to join us for a moment of solidarity and collective action.

O'Shae Sibley in Jazz class at Ailey Extension. Photo: Whitney Browne

The violence endured by our LGBTQIA+ community–disproportionately affecting Black, Indigenous, and peoples of color–starkly underscores the work that lies ahead to dismantle the homophobia and transphobia sown by white supremacy. The surge of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, politicians, and media promoting anti-gay rhetoric has emboldened said violence and has led to the loss of O’Shae’s precious and meaningful life.

As we continue our collective journey toward justice and equity, we must recognize that true liberation remains an aspiration yet to be fully realized. We remain firmly in support of the well-being and safety of our LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, and peoples of color dance colleagues, and we continue to champion the role that dance can play to foster inclusion, integration, healing, and human rights in the New York City metropolitan area.

Dance/NYC is sharing a list of actions you can take today and over the coming days to celebrate O’Shae’s life and resources to support the ongoing fight for justice. We thank and recognize the labor of the many organizations, community organizers, artists, and arts workers engaged in this work who have laid its foundation before us and continue to lead it into the future. We will continue to update this page over the next few weeks with additional actions and resources should they become available.

ACTIONS

1) Speakout & Vigil
August 3, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Intersection of Coney Island Avenue and Avenue P, Brooklyn, NY
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvcy3n2uWDz/

2) Memorial Ball | Vogue as an Act of Resistance
August 4, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Mobil Gas Station
1935 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvcgg2hOCo7/

3) O’Shae Sibley Memorial Service & Candle Light
Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. ET
The Center
208 West 13th Street, New York, NY
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvdYr7ur852/

4) Stand Up NYC Emergency Response Nightlife Benefit
for the memorial funds of O'Shae Sibley and DeAndre Matthews, & NYC Anti-Violence Project. Ticket sales will be donated equally across the three beneficiaries.
Tuesday, August 8, 2023, 7:00 p.m. ET (Doors at 6:00 p.m. ET)
bit.ly/standupantiviolence

5) GoFundMe’s for O’Shae
• From O’Shae’s Family
• From Philadanco

ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT

• Caribbean Equality Project
• GLAAD
• The Center
• The New Pride Agenda
• The Audre Lorde Project
• Destination Tomorrow
• Black Trans Liberation
• National Black Justice Coalition