June 3, 2020
It is with a heavy heart that we have witnessed the events of the last few weeks as the streets of our country have filled with protesters seeking justice for crimes against humanity.
Sadly, the events that were the catalyst for these protests are not isolated events. Instead, they are all too common occurrence in our country. The systemic racism we have for too long tried to ignore or pretend didn’t exist, has been a vicious cancer that has been destroying the very soul of our nation.
As an organization dedicated arts education, GOLD recognizes that every major American musical artform has its’ roots in Black American culture: Gospel, Blue Grass, Country, Jazz, Rock & Roll, R&B, Disco, Rap, Hip Hop, the list goes on…
Simply put, there would be no uniquely American music forms without the contributions of Black American artists and communities. We celebrate this fact every time we make music.
When any person or group of people in our American family is the victim of racism and discrimination, we all suffer. We are made lesser because of it.
Our black brothers and sisters are suffering. It’s time for all Americans to come together to institute real concrete policies that will end the systemic racism that our private and government institutions inflict on people of color in America.
Please join GOLD in our pledge to confront racism and bigotry head on and to call it out in all of its forms. Help us heal the sickness that has for too long kept our nation from achieving the promise of our founding fathers that, “All People Are Created Equal.”