Lena Waithe, Tessa Thompson, John Legend, Gabrielle Union…
They are just a few of the over 1,000 Black artists who’ve signed the demands listed on the new website for the Black Artists for Freedom, which describes itself as “a collective of black workers in the culture industries.” Included among the list of signees are actors, fashion designers, musicians and many more influential figures in Hollywood and beyond.
Together, they’ve united to demand that all cultural institutions that “depend on Black culture,” “commit to racial justice through material changes.”
“The institutions which purport to represent us, our work and our interests must be active agents in correcting the wrongs they’ve long perpetuated,” they write. “We are coming to collect our freedom.”
They aim to do so by demanding that these institutions take these actions: “Break ties with the police, put their money where their mouths are, advocate for Black people, get educated and imagine Black freedom.”