*Updated 6/9/20: We are so sorry to greet you through this message following the news of George Floyd’s appalling murder. As a society, we have failed to protect the lives of our Black community and respond to their suffering in the hands of our broken justice system. We recognize that our music industry also perpetuates systemic racism and has often profited off of the artistic expressions of Black and other marginalized communities.
We are currently making active changes to the way our organization is structured as well as what content we produce to support a more diverse music community. We have spent the last few days talking about how #BlackLivesMatter to us, and we are asking if you can help us make a lasting and permanent change.
WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER:
A company is matching 100% of donations up to $10,000 per employee. Some organizations included are below, but if there are any others of interest, our friend Melissa can look them up to see if they can be matched. Please reach out to Melissa.Lam927@gmail.com for more information or if you would like her company to match your donation.
Donations:
- Center for Policing Equity: a team of research scientists, race and equity experts, data virtuosos, and community trainers that partner with police departments to diagnose the roots of disparate policing in order to eliminate them https://policingequity.org/
- The Equal Justice Initiative: committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S., challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society https://eji.org/
- NAACP: established the #WeAreDoneDying campaign to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community and combat the consistent mistreatment of African American communities long before there was a pandemic https://www.naacp.org/
Petitions:
- #JusticeforFloyd https://www.justiceforbigfloyd.com/#petition
- Hands Up Act https://www.change.org/p/us-senate-hands-up-act
WHAT WE PLEDGE TO DO IN SCM:
- Create an online database of marimba music and artists from around the world, starting with Black musicians (*Updated 6/21/20: please see our database under the Education page)
- Publicly acknowledge the importance of the marimba’s origins in Africa and how the instrument historically arrived to us through the slave trade
- Uplifting the marginalized voices in our music community through social media: #musicisdiversity
- Begin our first commissioning project with Black composers (date TBD)
- Reach out to individuals who can help us create meaningful changes in the long term
Despite the challenges ahead of us, we hope you feel encouraged by the efforts of those who want to make a positive difference in the world.
Southern California Marimba 