JWF BLM Solidarity + Commitment Statement

OUR COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY

The Jeremy Wilson Foundation (JWF) stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for justice in the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Quanice Hayes, Patrick Kimmons, Keaton Otis, Kendra James, Terrell Johnson, Andre Gladen, and countless others. 

As a musicians’ health and services organization, we understand that the music industry’s legacy of marginalizing and exploiting Black artists makes it a critical forum for the work of antiracism. We also know that local concert bills and musical events have frequently failed to reflect the true diversity of Oregon’s music community.

The JWF seeks to use our platform to be an actively antiracist organization. Our all-volunteer Board of Directors has had numerous conversations over the past few weeks exploring our own challenges and opportunities in this area. More importantly, we’ve had conversations outside of our immediate circle and received hard, valuable insight into what we can be doing better. 

Today, we are announcing the following commitments to the community we serve. We will:

1. Conduct targeted outreach to local organizations embedded in the Black community to ensure Black musicians and music professionals are aware of and can easily access JWF services
2. Pledge that future JWF-organized and JWF-affiliated musical events will include equitable representation of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) performers, striving for a lineup comprised of at least one-third non-white artists.
3. Prioritize BIPOC-owned businesses in vendor selection for all JWF activities (e.g., material design, catering, printing, and supply procurement)
4. Launch active recruitment of new volunteers, consultants, and future board members to increase BIPOC representation in the JWF itself 

The JWF welcomes feedback on our planned strategies for better ensuring that each level of our organization’s work reflects a diverse, inclusive community of artists and industry workers. These initial actions are only the first step in our long-term commitment to social change. Thank you for holding us accountable as we move forward. 

Approved by the JWF Board of Directors 6/17/2020