UMAW Stands for Redistribution on Juneteenth
June 19, 1865 is the day when news of emancipation and the Civil War’s end finally reached the last group of enslaved people in Texas (2.5 years after the Emancipation Proclamation). Juneteenth is a reminder of the broken imperialist slave history and reality of America and we must continue to break the bonds of slavery that still exist through patriarchy, police, prisons, borders, and capital.Freedom must not be fractured. [a]
We have so much work to do to continue dismantling what slavery and capitalism created in this country. Bandcamp and various record labels are donating their profits from digital sales on Juneteenth.
We urge people to support black musicians or consider giving profits from their own music on Juneteenth to support reparations, families affected by police and white supremacy, and BIPOC organizations, such as Black Quantum Futurism, As They Lay, and Black musicians on Bandcamp.
Anti-blackness is a huge piece of the inequality issues we are trying to address. One of UMAW's central demands is to save the post office, which is important because it's a necessary resource for musicians and is a huge employer of black people. Every rock artist in this group owes everything to folks like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Little Richard.[b]
We don’t just want a symbolic message, we want to push power for real reparations for black musicians that our work would be nothing without. Juneteenth is a reminder of how no one will give people freedom: we must demand it.
Please go here to see what some artists and labels are doing to move economic resources on Juneteenth! https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/artists-and-labels-offering-donations-special-merch-juneteenth-fundraiser
Sources:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/juneteenth-2020-opal-lee_n_5eeb6e01c5b68d07296afdf4?4wp
