As many non-Black people and organizations are doing from June 1-7th, we're muting ourselves to let the voices of Black folks be amplified during this time of Black rebellion and violent unrest caused mostly by police and military force in the US. If you're unsure what we mean by all this, go onto any social media platform and search #amplifymelanatedvoices.
Music Waste had been planning for an alternative live stream fest to happen this coming weekend, June 5-7. This week, it became extremely clear to us that we do not want to take up space through our channels this week by putting on the fest. We will be postponing the festival to the likely (but still to be confirmed) dates of June 26-28.
It's important to acknowledge that while Music Waste has maybe one of the most diverse lineups it's ever had in 2020, the lineup is still disproportionately white performers, and the folks who have the capacity, resources, and time to participate in this live stream version of Music Waste during the COVID pandemic are even more overwhelmingly white. Our organizing crew is also almost all white people. These are things we continue to confront and unpack within our community.
In short – it’s not our time as an organization to speak or organize in the ways we usually do. Instead, we’ll be amplifying the voices of Black community members and pointing people in the direction of Black-run orgs for donations this week on social media instead of hosting live streams.
Also, we would encourage non-Black folks in the community not to be silent, and to spend time and energy learning, reflecting, and taking action in the ways that they are able to. We have a few resources listed below, as well as some ways to donate. This list is by no means exhaustive, but perhaps a good place to start. We hope you are all taking care and staying safe.
Please feel free to contact us via email or through any of our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) if you have any questions about our position, where to find resources or donate money, have any other thoughts or reflections you want to share about what’s happening right now, or how white supremacy and racism have impacted the music community here.
POSTPONED
Local Organizations/Funds (Vancouver/BC):
Emergency Black Community COVID-19 Fund
FESTIVAL POSTPONED statement below