Letters to Rose: Centering Black Women, Art, and Representation

Letters to Rose: Centering Black Women, Art, and Representation is a community-centered gathering that uplifts and honors Black women’s voices in theater and film. Presented in partnership with Alley Theatre, The Ensemble Theatre, and ShaWanna Rivon, the event is inspired by the character Rose from August Wilson’s Fences and The Bluest Eye, adapted for the stage by Lydia R. Diamond—two works that illuminate the interior lives, sacrifices, and resilience of Black women. Through facilitated conversation, reflection, and guided letter-writing, participants engage with themes of representation, legacy, and care. The gathering also affirms the importance of investing in, advocating for, and sustaining Black women in the arts, whose creative labor shapes the cultural landscape and future of theater and film. In addition to honoring Black women on and off the stage, the event extends intentional care and solidarity to incarcerated Black women in Houston through written correspondence. Letters to Rose brings artists, community members, and cultural workers together to reflect on the power of storytelling, visibility, and collective healing, reinforcing art as both expression and action.