Bandcamp does what many institutions won’t during these trying times as the company consistently puts their money where their mouth is. This week, in a gesture for racial justice, equality, and change, the online music platform announces plans to donate 100 percent of its revenue to the NAACP on June 19th.
In a statement to the company’s blog, Bandcamp’s CEO Ethan Diamond states, “The recent killings of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Sean Reed, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the ongoing state-sanctioned violence against black people in the US and around the world are horrific tragedies. We stand with those rightfully demanding justice, equality, and change, and people of color everywhere who live with racism every single day, including many of our fellow employees and artists and fans in the Bandcamp community.”
June 19th, also known as Freedom Day, offers unique context to the cause, being the day in 1865 that the last of the enslaved men, women, and children were finally informed of their liberation. In accordance, Bandcamp not only plans to donate $30,000 of their own funds to the NAACP, but vows to make their June 19 program an annual celebration.
These actions emphasize that changing perspective isn’t a short term or momentary thing but are ideas that needs to be fulfilled each and every day.
