BLAC, Inc. Receives National Black Theater Award
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Press Release
- February 18, 2021 Immediate Release
Appearing in photo from left to right: Anita Arnold, Executive Director, Vice-President Garland Pruitt, Vice-President, Board of Directors, and Dr. Gloria Anderson, President.
Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC), Inc. Executive Director Anita Arnold recently announced that BLAC, Inc. is a recipient of a national multi-year $60,000 grant as part of an initiative to save Black theaters in America. The grant was awarded by The Black Seed National Initiative, funded by the Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The New York Community Trust, the Howard Gilman Foundation, and other funders. Committed to a national strategic plan to enhance the Black theater
institutions in America, funders believe that Black heater, beginning with historic institutions from the 60s and 70s and continuing to this era, have been, and will continue to be, the guardians of the true American story. BLAC, Inc. was founded in 1969 and was incorporated in 1970 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit operating in the State of Oklahoma. The 50 year-old organization is the only institution of its kind left in America. Prominent individuals involved in the initiative are viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad, Stacey Abrams, and
Debbie Allen, and many others, and key components include: The Black Seed Fund, a National Think Tank, The Black Seed National Leadership Circle, The Black Seed Cohort, and A National Marketing Campaign. Dr. Gloria Anderson, President of the Board of Directors of BLAC, Inc. said, “It is pure excitement that is worthy of celebrating. BLAC, Inc. is the only institution in Oklahoma selected for the award. Once again, BLAC Inc. has made history as it brings the national spotlight to
Oklahoma. We look forward to being a part of American History as it evolves.” This project is a sign of progress. We are happy that Anita Arnold was invited to be one of 50 people included in the Think Tank charged with developing the national plan,” stated Vice-President Garland Pruitt. BLAC, Inc. and Theater North, their Oklahoma collaborating partner, will present theater productions this year during the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre. Notable stage actor Stephen McKinley Henderson, who is
African American, offered an inspirational message about the project, “…The second and third decades of the 21st Century hold the potential for renewed trust; a willingness to believe in our more perfect union through identifying our triumphs over an imperfect past. The crop that grows from the fertilized Black Seed will leave the Black Community, America and American Theater the better for it.”
Contact
Black Liberated Arts Center, Inc.
Address: 4500 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 106, Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Mail: blac37inc@yahoo.com
Phone: +1-405-524-3800
Web: blacinc.org
Facebook: BLAC Inc. Official Facebook Page