The Lowell Chamber Orchestra is deeply saddened, disgusted, and ultimately outraged over the unjust murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other unarmed Black people who have died at the hands of police across the United States. Systemic racism and police brutality have gone hand in hand since the conception of the police force, and these murders have been committed, almost always without consequence, for just as long. In the age of smartphones and livestreams, the insidious racism within the system is being brought to light in a whole new way, and the murder of George Floyd sparked a new wave in a movement whose intense re-ignition has been a long time coming. The Black community has spoken and it is time for us as a society to listen.
We need to do better.
LCO stands with the hundreds of thousands of protesters at the marches, rallies, and vigils across the nation who continue to grieve the losses of George Floyd and all of the other Black people murdered by police as well as racist civilians. We believe that Black lives matter. Always. Period.
Wondering why an orchestra is writing about this? We’re glad you asked! First of all, this is important. It’s a matter of human rights. Second, the music world is essentially a microcosm of society in terms of racism. Black composers and musicians have contributed so much to every genre of music, and classical music is no exception. When many of us try to picture classical composers, we picture a lot of white faces, but there are composers of all races, including many Black ones. Black people have faced terrible hurdles throughout American history, and despite all that, they have contributed seminal works to the canon with very little credit. This mistreatment and erasure of the contributions that Black people have made to classical music sure does remind us of the erasure of the contributions Black people have made to our country.
Black composers matter.
Black performers matter.
Black lives matter.
Usually, we ask you to donate to us. This time, we are asking you to donate to the Black community. Below, we have listed several links to help you get started.
And from the protesters in our orchestra to those reading this: be safe, wear a mask, drink plenty of water, and remember to listen.
#BLACKLIVESMATTER
Where to donate:
Black Lives Matter
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF)
Black AIDS institute
Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Emergency Fund
Funeral Fund for Mouhamed Cisse (17-year-old Black cellist, killed by police)
