Blackout Tuesday was a collective action to protest racism and police brutality. Taking place on June 2, 2020, it was an opportunity for reflection on racism and the effects of racism on society. As an act of solidarity, individuals and organizations around the world posted the black square image alongside the hashtag #blackouttuesday. This campaign grew from an initiative called #TheShowMustBePaused, created by “two Black women in the music industry in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard”.
According to the original statement released on theshowmustbepaused.com by Brianna Aygyemang and Jamila Thomas, “This is not just a 24-hour initiative. We are and will be in this fight for the long haul. A plan of action will be announced”. This is only phase one of a multi-phase movement.
Source: theshowmustbepaused.com
Those participating in the Blackout Tuesday event, but not involving themselves in other forms of activism, such as protesting or donating, are being performative in their activism.
On June 2, 2020, ACNW Staff gathered for an important conversation about solidarity action and the intentions behind it. Many views were discussed and considered. We all agreed that action needed to back up our intention. In the end, an action plan was developed by Staff and implemented over the next thirteen weeks. Collectively, we agreed to use our social media platforms to showcase Black artists that we have worked with in the past, currently in our programming, and others that we admire. We did the additional work of contacting these artists seeking their permission to place them on this platform. We thank them for their willingness to work with us and we applaud their continued artistic efforts in our community.
The artists below were curated by ACNW Cultural Programmer, Demi Cheng
Additional Resources
Black Lives Matter – Global
Black Lives Matter – Canada
Black Lives Matter – Vancouver | Donation Page
Hogan’s Alley Society | Donation Page
