The entertainment industry is stopping work today to help better support the #blacklivesmatter movement after the deplorable murder of George Floyd. Systematic racism is still heavily evident in all aspects of our society, not only in the USA but across the world.
It would be too easy to stay silent and not approach the subject, but that silence is leading to deaths, both directly and indirectly.
We have had the huge honour to work alongside black artists of all walks of life, and we are very aware that much of, if not most, of the music we celebrate and showcase was invented by and developed by black artists and the black community.
We have to work together to establish a “new normal”. We have to fight against racism at every level, which means pointing out and correcting anyone who uses racist language/ acts in such a way. This could be your parents, friends, colleagues, kids. You might say it’s awkward and uncomfortable, but now is not the time to be comfortable. We have to challenge racism in any way that will be noticed, from social media through to calling local representatives through to protesting .
We want to condemn anyone trying to push the “All Lives Matter” message. Of course all lives matter, but at no point in most white people’s lives have we ever had to fear walking down the road due to the colour of our skin. Never have we had to fear being shot by the police because of the way we are dressed. This is NOT the time to try and overshadow the movement- white voices are being heard every day in every way, and it is time to step down and let our brothers and sisters have the platform.
WE CAN ALL DO BETTER.
It won’t be perfect to start with, but we can work towards perfect. For now, we need to do everything in our power to make this world safe for our black neighbours, friends, family, colleagues, and all other black members of our society.
We know there is always room for improvement, so we will be taking a look at our processes and plans to work out where we can make changes and introduce more black contributors, artists and musicians.
The resources below are from from It’s Nice That. You’ll find a list of links, divided up into charities, funds and initiatives to donate to; people and organisations to follow; books and articles to read; and petitions to sign.
