WASHINGTON, D.C.: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has launched ongoing and long-term Social Impact initiatives to expand its artistic and educational programs.

Under the direction of Marc Bamuthi Joseph, vice president and artistic director of Social Impact, the organization will support anti-racism through eight areas of programming. The initiatives will include the Kennedy Center Culture Caucus, school partnerships, health programs, a curatorial music program, #BlackCultureMatters panel discussions, and more. A full list of the initiatives can be found here.

“Social Impact is fundamentally about who we are as the nation’s cultural center and the change maker the arts can be in the world,” said Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter in a statement. “While our plans to introduce future phases of our Social Impact initiatives have been in the works for over a year, current events have refocused and redoubled our efforts. I applaud the incredible vision of Marc Bamuthi Joseph as both an artist and leader, and the way his team has synthesized new and continuing initiatives in every division of the Kennedy Center.”

Added Bamuthi Joseph in a statement, “None of us expect our country or our institution to transform over night, but that doesn’t mean we can tactically idle while proclaiming that we seek to grow. Our Constitution is the foundational document that essentially designed freedom, but how do we sustain its spirit in the present day? And pertinent to today’s announcement, what is the role of our cultural centers in America’s contemporary freedom design? Social Impact is woven throughout our efforts at the Kennedy Center to be a willing and compassionate mechanism for our national ambition to be systemically anti-racist and structurally inclusive in the pursuit of inspiration for all.”