A group of arts nonprofits and educational institutions will stage an event tonight (May 2) that asks how the theater world can move toward racial equity and fight anti-Asian racism.

"Beyond Orientalism: The Forum" consists of two panels and a breakout session, all of which will livestream from Fordham University’s Pope Auditorium in the Bronx tonight at 7 p.m. EST. The Asian American Arts Alliance, Asian American Performers’ Action Coalition (AAPAC), Theatre Communications Group and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts all created the event in collaboration with Fordam’s Theatre Program and The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. 

The organizers describe the forum’s origin and purpose as follows on the Eventbrite page: 

The Beyond Orientalism conversation began in November 2015 with an unprecedented gathering of Asian American theater artists in response to the persistent practice of racial impersonation in the American theater. That conversation led to Beyond Orientalism: The Forum, which is the launch of a national initiative to directly address the negative effects of yellowface and brownface in U.S. theatre, while advocating for diverse representation of Asian Americans–and all characters of color–on our stages.

Panelists will include playwright Lloyd Suh and actress and National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) co-founder Mia Katigbak, among others. 

Watch the livestream here at 7 p.m. EST, and follow the conversation on social media using the hashtags #MyYellowFaceStory and #BeyondOrientalism.