Because Black Lives Matter ~ February 21, 2016

Because-Black-Lives-Matter-TSM

Please join us for a very special event. We are songwriters, poets, and singers — we are black and white — we are old and young, gathering to raise awareness of racial inequity and the serious ways this plays out in the everyday lives of African Americans.

Club Passim, 47 Palmer Street, Cambridge, MA
Sunday, February 21, from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Streamed live at Concert Window
Purchase Tickets $10 members, $15 non-members
or by calling the reservation line: 617-492-7679

Proceeds from this event will fund a special Passim Iguana Fund grant that will be awarded to an artist or organization working for racial equity. Proposals will be reviewed in the autumn.

Why not “All Lives Matter?”

To answer this question, I share what I wrote to the parents of “On Point”, the youth choir that will join us for this event.

The Black Lives Matter movement, for some, may be confusing. For our young people, there may be questions around why we are focusing on black lives when we are taught that all lives are to be respected and honored. President Obama, when addressing this issue, stated the following: “I think the reason that the organizers used the phrase “black lives matter” was not because they were suggesting nobody else’s lives matter. What they were suggesting was, there is a specific problem that is happening in the African-American community that’s not happening in other communities. And that is a legitimate issue that we’ve got to address.” The president continues, “I think everybody understands all lives matter. Everybody wants strong, effective law enforcement. Everybody wants their kids to be safe when they’re walking to school. Nobody wants to see police officers, who are doing their jobs fairly, hurt.”

Please join this remarkable line-up of performers! (Click to visit their web sites)

Alastair Moock
Bob Franke
Carolyn Waters
Charlie King, with Martha Leader
Greg Greenway
Kate Seeger with Dean Spencer
Kiana Harper
Kim Wallach
The Kuumba Singers
Oen Kennedy
On Point, Janice Allen Director
Ruby Rose Fox
S-Factor
Tom Smith