There is an awakening in America today, a new movement of advocates and activists rising to counter those who claim we have already arrived in a post-racial era. When white supremacists march with torches through Charlottesville, VA, and the president of the United States harshly condemns black athletes who are peacefully protesting injustice, then it’s plain to see how much work there is left to be done.
This new movement is standing up for black lives and insists that all of us acknowledge the deep systemic and structural racism that exists in our country today. It’s a movement that demands we confront the injustices of the past and present so that we may move forward together to build a nation of liberty and justice for all.
While it’s true that examples of overt racism may be more rare than they were in decades past, we know that racism itself has not gone away. Hate crimes are on the rise. Hate groups have felt emboldened by the results of the last election to spread their message of division and prejudice. But there’s another kind of racism that’s harder to see, and no less destructive: it’s deeply embedded within institutions like our schools, workplaces, the criminal justice system, and hospitals, to name a few. Think about it: white people occupy a disproportionate number of positions of power in our society, which necessarily comes at the expense of people of color.
We believe that everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed and thrive in this country, to participate fully in the life of their community, and we believe in removing all barriers to achieving those goals. So we invite you to join us on a journey to better understand the issue of race in America, to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism and the implicit biases that all of us carry—and to commit to what Rev. William Barber called on all of us to do: "join hands and move forward together."
We think music helps make things better. Whether it’s ultimate euphoria, or embracing strong emotions, music has always been there for us. At Many Rivers music festival, so many incredible artists united around music to shine a light on issues of social justice and human rights, and we were right there beside them singing the chorus.