The Philadelphia burlesque, drag, and nightlife performance communities have been witnessing a unique and powerful movement in our shared history where we are working to shift the culture of how we show up for one another. Pillars of our communities have mobilized to put in considerable labor to foster a new norm that has creators, performers, and producers calling on each other and on ourselves to do better, particularly for our Black & q***r siblings. In keeping with the momentum of the Philadelphia Black Q***r & Burlesque Town Hall, the members of Sinnamon’s Spice Rack want to speak our collective values and consider the ways we commit to moving forward that are consistent with our beliefs. As a group that is explicitly q***r, fat-positive, and slut-positive, we also firmly support the following movements and belief systems:
We are in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the consequent protests.
We are in support of the demands presented by The Philadelphia Black Q***r & Trans Performer Town Hall.
We are in support of Indigenous rights, immigrant rights, disability rights, and the decriminalization of s*x work.
We acknowledge the necessity of having a troupe that reflects the diverse Philadelphia performance community.
As many of our members are impacted by the overlap and intersection of these issues, it is important to note that our q***rness is not limited to s*xual orientation. Our q***rness includes actively bashing back against normative demands of gender identity, s*xual orientation, body politics, and systemic oppression in its many forms.
What We Will Do To Continue Aligning With These Beliefs:
Moving forward, we will be switching from “Sinnamon’s Spice Rack” to “The Spice Rack”. The Spice Rack will be run as a collective with a core leadership group and supporting members. Our troupe has always sought to book with intentional inclusion and will continue by enforcing that the leadership team of seven members consists of at least three BIPOC members.
To promote pay equity across settings, The Spice Rack can provide pay scale and finance transparency within and outside of our troupe, including baseline pay guarantees and bonuses for performers and staff. We commit to revisiting this pay structure as a group before every show to communicate how pay will be allocated. You can request more information on our compensation model by reaching out to us.
The Spice Rack will be rolling out a mentorship program for q***r and trans performers who have been underrepresented and underresourced. The program will have open applications and consist of opportunities to grow in performing, kittening, producing, and other skill sets that we can provide. We will actively engage and support newer/underbooked performers, whether they wish to join The Spice Rack or take their knowledge elsewhere. To support our skillshare, we will encourage the use of tangible resources, such as the Philly Performer Resource Redistribution Hub & Closet. Any bookings given to participants of our mentorship program will be paid positions.
In the interest of continuing to make Spice Rack shows a safer environment for our communities, The Spice Rack will only perform in venues that have undergone complete training in race- and LGBTQ+-related issues taught by Black, q***r, and trans instructors from reputable organizations, as per the request of the Black Q***r & Burlesque Performance Community of Philadelphia.
Our members will continue to support and promote shows outside of our collective that align with our beliefs, and won’t allow ourselves to become complacent in the community. We welcome and encourage collaborative shows, workshops, and/or promotion with like minded performers and producers.
What We’re Calling On The Philadelphia Performance Community To Do:
Pay your cast equitable rates and use transparency in pay scales
Support shows that align with inclusivity and the demands of Philadelphia Black Q***r and Trans Performance Community
Stop supporting venues that do not comply with anti-oppressive trainings, equity, and transparency
Only accept bookings with casts that have BIPOC performers and do not partake in tokenizing behavior
Stop creating acts that appropriate or create a parody of any BIPOC culture. We invite you to consider the context of songs/imagery and who they are for.
This includes digital blackface and using vernacular that is not your own (ex. tea, shade, queen, slay, etc) in mixes and real life.
Be aware of blindspots in regards to the history of Black and Brown people in general and in our direct community. It is important to always continue your own education.
This is a living document, and will be updated with additional resources below and clarifications as needed.
In Solidarity,
The Spice Rack
We recommend going through the following resources, and paying labor to any BIPOC folks who created them:
Reaction GIFs of Black People Are More Problematic Than You Think
https://onezero.medium.com/stop-sending-reaction-gifs-of-black-people-if-youre-not-black-b1b200244924
How To Apologize by Samantha SayTen of SayTen Studios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbACAKLL8NQ
Venmo for Labor - @samanthasayten
Alternatives and Substitutes for Appropriative or Problematic Language
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ioy3CDX_iR75DNJwvz7ftq51EXAvZ99C51HP1V_zPOY/
The Philadelphia Black Q***r & Burlesque Town Hall
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=714842495752302
Venmo Accounts for Labor - Vinchelle: @Vinchelle | Icon Ebony Fierce: @Iconebonyfierce (B&W photo) | Nickihanna: Venmo: @PhisNickihanna | Marcus G: Cash app: MNGSTUDIOS215, Venmo: @Marcus-Gordon | Sapphira: Venmo: @SapphiC Cashapp: $SapphiraC | Foxworth: Venmo: @foxworthvorn | Miayanna: @miayanna-brooks $miayannabrooks | Marcha: Venmo: @MikalzMarcha, Cashapp: $MW96
Is My Apology Actually An Apology? by Nick Hollup
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kbCiGTfYrJP3bXAKUtfCh7RzYxq1CRImss_CIq7w_cI/
Making A Public Statement by Nick Hollup
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rC3BVKumYTWfLrd17GSRhGqdY-ojTh5181EsMliXjOQ
Putting Your Plan Into Action by Nick Hollup
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sEPJ1vO7jr53ZLTZJ--ht_gMCHuxAuSFZvJt-bin9CE
Philly Performer Resource Redistribution Hub & Closet
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1531165910397275/
07/07/2020
05/13/2020
01/30/2020
