Dear Family and Friends,
My name is Houston Thomas and I am a Black American ballet dancer with the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden, Germany.
For the past week, millions of people around the world have gone to the streets to protest against police brutality and the injustice in the police department system in the USA. Being a person of color and one of the only people of color that works in the Semperoper, I feel a great responsibility to create awareness and find a way to use my voice about an issue that not just affects me as a black man, but an issue that affects all of us. What is happening in America is not a black people's problem but rather a problem for the entire human race. The issue at hand goes further than police brutality. We live in a world today where people are still targeted and discriminated against solely on the basis of the color of their skin. I can imagine that for some of you this information and recent events can be very hard to comprehend. I want to reassure you that these are real problems that are happening all around the world, even in Germany.
For all of you who wish to help but feel so far away from the epicenter, I've decided along with my fellow colleagues of the Semperoper, to organize a small initiative to raise money as the artists and workers of Germany. The page is titled Artist of Germany but is truly an initiative for all who wish to support this cause and end racism. All money raised will be donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund which helps pay bail for protesters who have been arrested for exercising their 1st amendment. All donations will automatically be sent to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
Your support toward this cause means the world to me. If you have any questions regarding anything, please feel free to contact me.
Houston Thomas
For further information or ways to help the cause, please refer to these links:
https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/ https://www.blacklivesmatterberlin.de/georgefloyd-and-actionable/
