Land Acknowledgment
The setting of Asking For a Friend spans many miles. Leah, Tierra, and Kurt embark on a road trip that brings them through the native land of the Kiikaapoi, Peoria, Bodéwadmiakiwen, Myaamia, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Shawandasse Tula, Osage, Tsalaguwetiyi, and S’atsoyaha people. You can learn more about these groups of Native people by clicking on their names listed previously. The Cast and Creative Team of Asking For a Friend acknowledges that we all reside on stolen land, and strive to educate ourselves about the native people that inhabited our localities as well as honor them through our art. We encourage our viewers to educate themselves on the Native people who were forcefully removed from your area by visiting native-land.ca
Asking For A Friend for EmbraceRace
As we prepare to open Asking For A Friend, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the wonderful organization we are raising funds for. Although admission is free, we are asking that our viewers make a small donation to EmbraceRace if they are able. EmbraceRace is an organization that creates and distributes resources on teaching children about race. They have guides and action plans on raising anti-racist children, as well as guides for parents or caregivers who are raising children that are of a different race than them.
One of the main reasons we partnered with EmbraceRace was because of the themes of cultural identity and discovery in Asking For A Friend. Leah is a black woman adopted by a white woman, and she spends a lot of the play working through her relationship with herself and her blackness. As time passes, Leah realizes that her mother Rachel is partially to blame for her lack of exposure to the culture of her race, and she thinks about what her life would be like if a black woman raised her. EmbraceRace provides articles and action plans for parenting adopted children of a different race, such as: “Tips for Parenting your Transracially Adopted Child”, “Doing Race, Family, and Culture Through Transracial Adoption”, and “Selected Books and Resources about Adoption, Foster Care, and Family Diversity”. If you are able, you can donate to EmbraceRace by using this link.
We can’t wait to share this beautiful play with you (which will stream all weekend), and we hope you consider donating to EmbraceRace so that they can continue their mission of fostering children who are “Brave about race”.