On June 28, 2022, The Sofia: Home of B Street Board of Directors voted to accept the following anti-racist/anti-bias action statement which was developed in collaboration with theatre staff. The Sofia will post quarterly updates regarding the commitments outlined in this document.

The Sofia, Home of B Street is deeply saddened and disturbed by the resurgence of hate and violence against Asian American and Pacific Islanders(AAPI). These horrific actions and words are unacceptable and must be addressed not only on a community level, but on a global scale.

We stand in solidarity with our AAPI neighbors, friends, colleagues and family members. For more information or to report a hate crime, please visit: StopAAPIHate.org.

The B Street Theatre welcomes Latrice Madkins as the Equity, Diversity and Community Inclusion Director.

The recently appointed arts, education and community leader has joined the executive leadership team responsible for moving the company’s mission forward, and establishing diverse, equitable, inclusionary standards and practices throughout the company.

Latrice Madkins, a Sacramento County Citizen of the Year awardee and global contributor to performance arts, education and civic engagement remains with the B Street family (although the doors are closed). Before this appointment, Latrice Madkins served as administrator of B Street Theatre’s founding program: Fantasy Theatre (now known as School Tour) while engaging the Black community and The Sofia. Thanks to Latrice’s leadership and diversity advocacy, B Street Theatre has established valuable connections within the community it serves, such as partnerships with Sacramento Chapter of the Links Inc. and Eta Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

In her new position, Latrice Madkins will lead the creation and implementation of additional programming and arts industry inclusion models, converging on marginalized and BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) communities.

B Street Theatre will remain focused on supporting systemic transformation through comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. We pledge our commitment today, tomorrow and forever.

A New Social Justice Series.

Systemic Racism in Today’s Theater

The heartfelt voices speaking to the problem of racism today, across the globe, have taught me something.

We have failed. And as the leader of B Street Theatre and founder of The Sofia, I have failed.

I have failed to do my utmost to ensure B Street Theatre accurately reflects the beautiful and diverse community that is Sacramento. At the board level, the administrative level, the programmatic level, the artistic level and the audience level.

This failure has perpetuated a culture of complacency that allows certain communities to be repeatedly and unfairly excluded from the experience of B Street Theatre, in favor of our predominately White community. This complacency benefits systematic racism.

For this I grieve.

Much can be said about past efforts and successes, however, today, I must say we have fallen short, far short, in pursuit of the B Street’s spoken ideal: that we are one family in one community brought together by one glorious art form: theater. And an essential way to realize this ideal is to adopt strong anti-racism goals manifesting in a strong anti-racism orientation to management, practices and procedures.

We are currently working on a number of anti-racist initiatives; some fully mature and some in progress. We will share these initiatives on this link and report on their progress. I am confident progress will be made in this vital quest. Soon.

Anti-racism is an active way of seeing and being in the world in order to transform it.

We are committed to this transformation.

Black Lives Matter

Buck Busfield
Founder, The Sofia
Sacramento, California

The death of George Floyd and the current events roiling our beloved but imperfect nation require us to speak at this time.

To paraphrase the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the real truth is the question, not who killed George Floyd and those killed prior to his death. But what killed them. When we move from the who to the what, the blame is wide and the responsibility grows.

It is on all our shoulders that we should accept this burden, this responsibility, this great American task of striving for a more perfect union.

For too long have we as humans allowed those who feel unsafe due to the color of their skin, by their ethnicity or by their status as a minority to feel like we are not part of their community.

It feels like it is no longer enough to say that we are welcoming. That we seek diversity. It is no longer enough to sit passive and feel comforted in the knowledge that we are progressive.

We shall begin today looking for a new path forward to reach out. To not only say “you are welcome” but to ask the same. I can no longer hide behind my walls of comfort but tear them down and ask your help in rebuilding them so that we are all inside this community we create together.

Today is a new day for action to ensure that we are of one voice as regards to our rights for safety, for ourselves and for our children.

Upon our re-opening, we, the B Street Theatre, shall launch a new series, Voices of Justice, that will bring speakers, music, and live theatre that address social justice issues in our nation and local community.

Join with us,

B Street Theatre