I said I was taking a break and I am. There's no music here. Today is June 19th, known in America as Juneteenth. I'll be honest and say this is new to me. In short, while Abraham Lincoln declared all persons held as slaves to be free from January 1, 1863, the Civil War wasn't over and the 13th Amendment hadn't been passed (although that's a whole problem in itself). Enslaved persons in Texas were only truly freed on June 19, 1865. Hence the celebration. See the image to the right to read a full history, or read here.
Today, to mark that day, Bandcamp is donating its 15pc fee on all purchases to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Which is cool. Not to be snarky but you could of course donate to the LDF (and other resources) on other days, and buy music on days that aren't marked "BANDCAMP DAY". But hey I'm buying stuff myself today. So what do I know.
I want to remind you that while it's easy to sit and point like Leo in that meme, racism isn't just an American problem. Just this week I've seen the following stories about UK police being more likely to fine Black, Asian and minority ethnic people during lockdown, about reports of racism in Ireland more than doubling in Ireland in the first quarter of this year, anecdotal stories of racism in this country, reminders that you can't talk about racism without talking about the Traveller community in Ireland and so on.
I don't have any sexy graphics for you. I asked someone for advice on what to do this week and she suggested I share anti-racist resources. Here's a welcome piece explaining the basics. Here is a list of reports and resources, such as a mental model for white anti-racists on how to act and speak appropriately. Here is a list of Irish resources. Here is a list from Berkeley's Greater Good that breaks down the roots of racism as well as how to overcome your own internal biases, how to be an anti-racist parent and more.
Buying music today isn't enough. Racism won't be gone tomorrow because you have a few black faces in your Bandcamp library. Breonna's killers haven't been charged. Modern-day lynchings are being ruled as suicides. The phrase "All Lives Matter" exists. We all need to work on this. Think about your life and what you can do better.
I want to thank some people (who might not even see this) who have helped me confront my own biases and reexamine my headspace in terms of race, gender and beyond, as well as advising me in a more general sense. So thank you Soraya, Sindhuja, Frankie, Kate, Kristin, Mathys and Axmed, just to name a few. Before this gets too saccharine, I know I'm not perfect and all this is talk is useless if I don't do anything. All my Patreon money for this month and next has been donated to Black Lives Matter-related causes.
Finally, the painting above is called Nightlife and it's by Archibald John Motley Jr.