In June 2023, AGMA announced the Union's new President, Officers, and Governors. The award-winning Summer 2023 issue of AGMAzine featured interviews with President Ned Hanlon and Officers J. Austin Bitner, Brian August, Helena Brown, Antuan Byers, Eric Ferring, Andres Garcia, Katharine Goeldner, Cameo Humes, and Jennifer Wallace. Now, as part of our AGMAzine Spotlight Series, we will be featuring these union leaders every Wednesday.
Today, we spotlight Antuan Byers, AGMA's Dancers Vice President.
“I am in commitment to dismantling the dangerous systems of white supremacy and centering those traditionally not given a voice, such as Black folx, Indigenous people, or people who are disabled, queer, or trans. As an Officer, I will lead through Black, queer, feminist lenses. I dream of a union where our most marginalized Artists, both in the union and to come, have a seat at the table and a place on the stage. I am committed to ensuring that all our signatories have continuous and intentional training around justice, equity, and inclusion, while exploring creative interventions such as bystander training to provide our members with the skills and language to advocate better and protect each other. The Arts are inherently ableist, and I am committed to exploring how to better incorporate a disability justice framework into our work at AGMA. I am committed to organizing around issues involving queer and trans folx, ensuring that as our country continues to strip away their rights, our union works even harder to uplift and protect our LGBTQIA+ members. I am committed to engaging and nurturing our next generation of Artists as leaders, who will join after us to continue this work.”
To read Antuan's full interview, check out the Summer 2023 issue of AGMAzine.