Black & Proud (Say It Loud)...
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Beyoncé Thanks Black Lives Matter Protesters, Talks Music-Industry Sexism in Commencement Speech
By Halle Kiefer@hallekiefer
This year’s seniors are leaving academia amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a global uprising against police brutality toward black people, and through it all, Beyoncé wants you to know: You’re already doing great. “Thank you for using your collective voice and letting the world know that black lives matter,” the singer tells students during YouTube’s Dear Class of 2020 streaming special, headlined by the Obamas, on Sunday.
“The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others have left us all broken,” she explains. “It has left the entire country searching for answers. We’ve seen that our collective hearts, when put to positive action, could start the wheels of change. Real change has started with you, this new generation of high-school and college graduates who we celebrate today.”
In addition to a viral epidemic and racism, Beyoncé also warns students that they — much as she did — may grapple with sexism in their chosen field. Still, she asks, they must keep going. “The entertainment business is still very sexist,” she explains. “It’s still very male-dominated, and as a woman, I did not see enough female role models given the opportunity to do what I knew I had to do. To run my label and management company, to direct my films and produce my tours, that meant ownership: owning my masters, owning my art, owning my future and writing my own story. Not enough black women had a seat at the table. So I had to go and chop down that wood and build my own table. Then I had to invite the best there was to have a seat.”
“Please, continue to be a voice for the voiceless,” says Beyoncé. “Never forget: We can disagree in a way that is productive to arrive at decisions that foster real change. And if you make a mistake, that’s okay, too, but we all have a responsibility to hold ourselves accountable and change. Whatever the world looks like in ten years and 20 years, part of that is up to you. I urge you to let this current moment push you to improve yourself in all areas of your life.”
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Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins Among 1,000 Black Artists for Freedom Demanding Change in Entertainment
By Halle Kiefer@hallekiefer
Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF
Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Lupita Nyong’o, John Legend, and Questlove are just a handful of the more than one thousand black directors, performers, artists, and writers demanding change in the arts, entertainment, and beyond in a call to action issued in honor of Juneteenth. In a statement made Friday, Black Artists for Freedom, “a collective of black workers in the culture industries,” called on creators to battle racial injustice in their fields. “Culture alone cannot fix systemic racism,” the letter reads. “But culture is strongly connected to racism’s material effects, and the violence against us.”
“Racist stereotypes of Black criminality, monstrosity, unchecked rage, hyper-sexuality, immunity to pain, and so on, are still recycled today in books, films, and on the Internet,” their statement explains. “Consciously and unconsciously, these stereotypes are invoked — in everyday interactions and in courts of law — as reasons why Black people do not deserve human rights. We do not wish merely to modify or alleviate this racist culture. We aim to eliminate it.”
So, how can creators prioritize anti-racism in their work? Good question, and Black Artists for Freedom provides five guidelines for achieving that goal: break ties with the police, spend money to recruit and support black workers, advocate for black people in leadership positions, educate yourself on the history of systemic racism, and, finally, “imagine Black freedom,” instead of relegating black creators to specific subjects or stereotypes. Read their statement, and its lengthy list of signees, in its entirety here.
blackartistsforfreedom.com
By Halle Kiefer@hallekiefer
Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF
Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Lupita Nyong’o, John Legend, and Questlove are just a handful of the more than one thousand black directors, performers, artists, and writers demanding change in the arts, entertainment, and beyond in a call to action issued in honor of Juneteenth. In a statement made Friday, Black Artists for Freedom, “a collective of black workers in the culture industries,” called on creators to battle racial injustice in their fields. “Culture alone cannot fix systemic racism,” the letter reads. “But culture is strongly connected to racism’s material effects, and the violence against us.”
“Racist stereotypes of Black criminality, monstrosity, unchecked rage, hyper-sexuality, immunity to pain, and so on, are still recycled today in books, films, and on the Internet,” their statement explains. “Consciously and unconsciously, these stereotypes are invoked — in everyday interactions and in courts of law — as reasons why Black people do not deserve human rights. We do not wish merely to modify or alleviate this racist culture. We aim to eliminate it.”
So, how can creators prioritize anti-racism in their work? Good question, and Black Artists for Freedom provides five guidelines for achieving that goal: break ties with the police, spend money to recruit and support black workers, advocate for black people in leadership positions, educate yourself on the history of systemic racism, and, finally, “imagine Black freedom,” instead of relegating black creators to specific subjects or stereotypes. Read their statement, and its lengthy list of signees, in its entirety here.
Black Artists for Freedom
The Black Artists for Freedom is a collective of black workers in the culture industries. This is Our Juneteenth Artists' Statement.
blackartistsforfreedom.com
Emmanuel Acho making major noise after ESPN exit
It is unusual that a 29-year-old sports media personality is about to start a big new job, and there is already speculation about what could be next. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho said he’ll …
nypost.com
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Abolitionist Cassius Clay Was One Of The Toughest Politicians Ever
Muhammad Ali originally named for ardent abolitionist
www.bgol.us
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