As people in Minneapolis and nationwide grieve the murder of Renee Nicole Good, and both activists and ordinary citizens struggle to resist and recover from targeted raids by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of Somali, Southeast Asian, and Latine immigrants in the Twin Cities, advocacy is coming in many forms, including the artistic. For example, both Mexodus co-writer Brian Quijada and the husband-and-wife team of A.J. Holmes and Caitlin Cook have written heartbreaking protest songs about Good. “She died for a reason we all know is fact/She died for fighting back,” Quijada sang; “Wrong place, wrong time, wrong country,” Cook and Holmes lamented in harmony.
For theatres in Minnesota, particularly theatres of color, this is personal. Today, Jan. 23, the people of Minnesota are holding an “ICE Out of Minnesota for Truth and Freedom” general strike as a collective day of action and reflection: refraining from shopping, going to work and school, and marching to advocate for their rights. The day is endorsed by Minnesota’s AFL-CIO labor union. Among the participants are members of Theater Mu, the Playwrights Center, the Guthrie Theatre (which canceled a performance of Matthew López’s Somewhere), Park Square Theatre, History Theatre, Theatre Latté Da, and Mixed Blood Theatre, among others.
More than half of Minnesota’s Asian population are immigrants or refugees. Earlier this month, Asian American theatre company Theater Mu released a statement in solidarity with immigrants, refugees, and those protesting ICE actions. They also shared a roundup of resources about immigrant and protester rights and outlets for legal and community support, including local advocacy coalitions like MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, MN8, and CAIR-MN. Likewise, Park Square Theatre shared resources from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, and Mixed Blood Theatre shared mutual aid resources.
“We know firsthand that deportation breaks families apart and does not provide a path forward for those whose lives are irrevocably changed,” Theater Mu leaders said in a statement. “We will not let fear silence us from speaking out against actions rooted in xenophobia, racism, and hate. And we will not let fear stop us from finding strength and joy in community and creativity, for it is through these that we can fortify our reserves and build a better world.”
Theater Mu will actually hold a performance tonight, as its New Eyes Festival of works by AAPI playwrights was already scheduled to run Jan. 23-25. After tonight’s event, they will invite attendees to gather and process their feelings, share resources and company, and know they’re not alone.
The Playwrights’ Center in St. Paul fully paused programming and services. The company shared that this action was in solidarity with its community in the Twin Cities, including multiple social justice and labor organizations. “We continue to stand with all those who repudiate the violent tactics of ICE agents and the widespread harm they are inflicting,” the company said in a statement.
In a development not directly related to ICE violence, Jungle Theater recently announced that it will pause programming for the remainder of its 2025-26 season due to significant financial challenges. This comes after they postponed a reading of I Never Asked for a GoFundMe by Jayne Deely (its performance was on Jan. 19). Though this pause was not motivated by events on the street, Jungle’s location on Lyndale Avenue is also home to Wrecktangle Pizza and Smitten Kitten, where workers and community members recently chased off ICE agents, launched fundraising efforts, and helped those impacted by the increased ICE presence.
“Our hearts are heavy but full of love for our immigrant community near and far,” Jungle Theater leaders shared in a statement. “We stand in solidarity with all those that feel the weight of fear, oppression and threats that the ICE occupation has brought to our state and our nation. The artists and audiences that gather here at the Jungle must feel welcome and safe in our cozy LynLake theatre…and we need to ensure that for all, not just for some.”
