In the middle of the Black Lives Matter protests in Richmond in 2020, a photo of dancers Kennedy George and Ava Holloway in black tutus with their fists raised while in front of the Robert E. Lee monument went viral.
The teens received an outpouring of support locally as well as nationally and internationally, which ushered in the founding of the nonprofit social justice group Brown Ballerinas for Change.
“We made this organization to spread diversity through presenting unrepresented brown dancers …, creating space for them and to allow them resources they may not be able to get on their own,” Kennedy, a co-founder and CEO of Brown Ballerinas for Change, said. “We can all relate to each other, and that helps out a lot, but we definitely do just enjoy time together, creating together, and basically it’s an honor to share the space with each other.”
Here, the group’s …