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Alicia Keys, Shaggy, Brandi Carlile & More: Advocates Support #BlackOutTuesday
"The point was never to mute ourselves… This was a day to completely disconnect from work and make a difference in our community because we should not normalize what is happening." -Jamila Thomas, Atlantic Records and co-organizer of #TheShowMustBePaused.
On Tuesday, June 2, what became known as "Black Out Tuesday" mobilized all members of the music community to examine, educate, discuss and take action on the issue of racial injustice and violence against black people in America following the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and so many other black citizens.
Responding to the pain, unrest and urgency of the situation, many artists raised their voices for human rights in support of Black Lives Matter and the protests against racial injustice in this country. Many lending their voices and platforms were experienced activists who have previously partnered with the Recording Academy to advocate for the rights of music creators during GRAMMYs on the Hill and District Advocate Day.
Leading the charge online was GRAMMY winner and host of the 62nd GRAMMY Awards Alicia Keys, , who shared a moving sentiment of support. Keys put her artistry to work, posting a short poem of power with the caption, "We need more than poems. We need deep systemic change. But when I wrote these words it was a little prayer that I personally needed. Maybe u do too."
GRAMMY winner Yolanda Adams employed memorable quotes from Black luminaries of the past W.E.B. Dubois and Martin Luther King Jr. in her Instagram post.
GRAMMY nominee Aloe Blacc took aim at the Doctrine of Qualified Immunity with his post, calling for abolishment and increased accountability for police, while GRAMMY winner Dionne Warwick stood strong with the all-black image of solidarity and #BlackOutTuesday hashtag.
GRAMMY winner Jason Mraz, posted in support of his former label, Atlantic Records and their observance of the event in accordance with Warner Music Group. "My contract with @AtlanticRecords may have ended, but they continue to show up for me. That’s how world peace works. We stand up for each other. I stand with WMG in the company wide shut down to amplify," he wrote on Twitter, adding the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. He also took to IG for a more action-oriented post:
Brandi Carlile reminded her followers of the purpose of the day, which is to disrupt, while solid-black image posts from Cyndi Lauper, X Ambassadors, PJ Morton and Peter Asher, showed support for the fight against racial injustice from other active supporters of creators' rights.
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Reggae royalty and GRAMMY winner Ziggy Marley, who comes from a legacy of social activism, shared a passionate post that connected the story of Babylon with his father's words from long ago to the current injustices and the unwarranted killing of George Floyd, pleading, "do you understand?"
Similarly, GRAMMY-winning songwriter and producer Rodney Jerkins offered a spiritual angle for the current events in this country, posting a passage from the Bible, Luke 23:44-47, which makes specific reference to the word "blackout."
Music creators from all walks of life walked together on "Black Out Tuesday," agreeing #TheShowMustBePaused and participating in the same spirit of advocacy and activism necessary to inspire and create meaningful and necessary change in our government, our community and our perspectives. Together, we can make a difference.
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