Hello, my name is Zoe Blanton and I am a sophomore. At Duke Ellington we learn that theater is about more than ourselves. It is a powerful tool that we can use to change social injustice in the world. Although the Black Lives Matter movement has existed for a long time,  protests are now taking the world by storm.  They started after the horrible and unjust murder of George Floyd and many other Innocent Black Men and Women. The incident was captured on video, and the fallout has been fueled by social media. There have been many companies and fundraisers created to support the movement. At Ellington, we go beyond Shakespeare and develop work exposing social injustice such as police brutality, the criminal justice system, and the pipeline from school to prisons. Duke Ellington had given me the education and the platform to create theater that shows the many truths of America, but this can only continue if we have funding to support our training and performances.  Any amount is appreciated. Thank you for your contribution in giving young people the creative platform to express our felling about the injustices in the world.