Dear Ladies Rock MKE family,
Black Lives Matter.
I've written and rewritten the intro to this email over and over again, trying to find the "right" words, but this is the whole point: Black Lives Matter. These are the right words, and in truth, the only words that matter right now.
I have had the privilege of meeting so many of you through Ladies Rock MKE over the last five years, and I know many of you do not need this message hammered home by yet another organization. Today, I want to focus on why Ladies Rock camp is not just a fun musical experience, but one that focuses on empowerment and liberation for all, using music as a tool.
Ladies Rock MKE was built on feminist principles. Our vision has always been a music industry — and specifically a music scene in our beloved Milwaukee — without sexism. When we started using the tagline, "Music for Everyone Else," that was our quiet way of publicly acknowledging that womxn's are not the only voices that are stifled by the white, cisgender, straight men who are often given the most attention and take up the most space in this industry. We should have been louder.
When a Ladies Rock organizer named Drew told me why he as a gender non-conforming man had been interested in joining a group primarily focused on womxn's empowerment, he said, "A rising tide lifts all boats." I thought I understood what he meant. I thought the rising tide was feminism, and that gaining equality for womxn would help lift the boats of racial justice, LGBTQ justice, and disability justice, to name a few. I was wrong. Today I understand that justice itself is the rising tide, and that we are all boats. Without an explicit commitment to justice and lifting each other up, we're all just stuck, docked in the harbor.
Feminism alone is not enough. We must be intersectional in our thoughts, in our actions, in our movements — as both individuals and organizations. Intersectionality, a concept developed by Black scholar and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw, asks us to acknowledge the ways our many identities (gender, race, sexuality, class, ability, and more) interact with each other to create unique, layered experiences for each of us. Black Lives Matter is central to Ladies Rock MKE's mission of empowering ALL womxn and gender non-conforming individuals. All lives cannot matter until Black Lives Matter.
As an organization, we are commiting to:
Actively seeking out Black creators, instructors, and leaders for Ladies Rock MKE programming and content;
Compensating contributors for their labor, either monetarily or through an exchange deemed appropriate by all parties;
Supporting Black womxn and gender non-conforming performers through leveraging our social network, both online and offline;
Sharing volunteer and career opportunities more widely, and actively encouraging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) to apply;
Building antiracism into our curriculum and community guidelines, as we have built in antisexism;
Continuing to make camp accessible to anyone who wants to attend regardless of financial ability by offering sliding-scale tuition;
Educating ourselves and our community on the contributions of BIPOC to music history and our current music scene;
Calling each other in with love and respect when we inevitably make mistakes, and seeing those mistakes as learning opportunities.
As a first step towards these goals, I'm excited to introduce our Pass the Mic! Panel, a new monthly series highlighting voices of marginalized musicians. Each month, you are invited to join us in reading a book, watching a video, or listening to a podcast about womxn and gender non-conforming individuals in music, followed by a live panel discussion (virtual, for now) with contributors to the Milwaukee music scene. Ladies Rock MKE has hosted similar panels within camp, and I am so excited to build this programming with you outside of camp. More details to come soon.
Ladies Rock MKE is committed to fostering independent thinking, building positive self-esteem, and bridging cultural and social divides through a supportive musical community.
I don't have all the answers. Honestly, I don't know that I have any. I am listening to Black leadership in our community and worldwide. I am doing my best to support them, learn from my mistakes, and be a better person. To my fellow white people: We're definitely going to mess up and be ineffective or even bad allies at times, but the fear of that must not keep us from making the effort. There's much work to be done, but we can do it together. We must keep trying to raise the tide.
With love and determination,
Hannah Pardee,
Ladies Rock MKE Program Director
Ways You Can Help Right Now:
Sign this petition to #ReclaimThe414, authored by young womxn of color in Milwaukee, demanding that Milwaukee Police Department's budget be cut by 10% and that Milwaukee Public Schools end their $478,242 annual contract with Milwaukee Police Department.
Donate to Love On Black Women Fund, a people-driven fund that supports Black womxn in Milwaukee by assisting with rent, food, or emergency supplies.
Listen to Spotify's official Black Lives Matter playlist, featuring a wide variety of Black musicians from different genres and eras. (Reply to this email with book/video/podcast ideas for our first Pass the Mic! Panel.)
Join us at the BLACK WMNZ Emancipation Protest & Juneteenth Block Party on Friday, June 19 beginning at 1:30pm. Meet on the Northwest corner of 6th and Walnut at 1:15pm to walk with friends in solidarity. Face coverings encouraged. Want to get involved but can't make it out in person? You can donate money or supplies, or make signs for protestors! Reply to this email and we'll find a way for you to help.
