A pledge like this is no substitute for the institutional change we need or a long-overdue reckoning with our history. But it is a concrete first step. We hope that from here we can build deeper and stronger commitments, and new and powerful networks that will help us transform our industries.
Our aim is to center Black musicians and industry professionals while also supporting Indigenous people and people of color who have been excluded from these networks too.
If you are a musician or industry professional with access, resources, and opportunities that you can pledge to support this initiative, please choose the action(s) that best apply from the list below. Signers who are BIPOC can also pledge to offer their support as a mentor.
If you are a BIPOC musician or industry professional interested in hearing about opportunities and resources available based on the pledges we receive, please make sure to select that option below and enter your contact info, and we will be in touch soon!
Singer-songwriter and pianist Frankie Staton founded the Black Country Music Association to push for this kind of change in 1997. “People need to know that we have been here all along,” she said. We hope that with this initiative, we can continue to work toward her vision.
—Country Music Against White Supremacy
Country Music Against White Supremacy is a group of BIPOC and white musicians, fans, and industry professionals committed to both fighting white supremacy within country music and using country music to fight white supremacy.