Creative Equity Toolkit

The Music Industry Was Built on Racism. Changing It Will Take More Than Donations

In the aftermath of Blackout Tuesday when many in the music industry supported the Black Lives Matter movement, this article looks at the systemic racism built into the music industry, especially the lack of people of colour in leadership roles.

'The contemporary popular music industry also has racism baked into its foundation. The term R&B was coined, after all, to replace “race music.” The charts have always been mostly segregated'.

The Story of Race: Dianne Jones and Odette Kelada

Ballardong artist Dianne Jones, anglo and Egyptian writer Dr Odette Kelada and Worimi educator and storyteller Genevieve Grieves on the story of race, intercultural collaboration and race literacy.

Kelada: 'People really want to talk about race, they just need to know how to do it.'

Jones: 'We start with the fact that race is a story, and it’s a story that hasn’t been told in a way that’s clear and visible.'

WATCH: Things Not to Say series

A playlist featuring videos from the BBC Three series "Things not to say" which focus on issues of race. Six minute videos (with some swearing and sexualised language in some cases).

‘Tokenised, silenced’: new research reveals Indigenous public servants’ experiences of racism

Australian research into the experiences of Indigenous people in the workplace and why there's a consistent lack of representation at leadership levels.

'A deeper understanding about what racism is and how race works is a good place to start. Non-Indigenous colleagues and managers must commit to anti-racist workplaces. This requires managers to act on reports of racism - the continued failure to do so makes them complicit in perpetuating white supremacy.'