My earliest experience with Bread and Roses was attending the first Workers’ Opera performance directed by Agnes Wilcox and Freeman Word for a few dozen people in the basement of a church. It was a small group and new troupe of actors. It was raw. It was powerful.

Soon enough, I realized that being a member of the board opened a path for me to both give my support – and gain something I was looking for: the opportunity to directly influence hearts and minds.

Now our performances reach hundreds at a time – and thousands in the course of the year. We are making a big impact on important social justice issues through the arts.