On behalf of Tasha and myself, I’d like to add to the current
conversation about the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and
Special Events (DCASE), Mayor Lightfoot, and the censorship issue.
Currently, it is extremely difficult to make any kind of living as a
musician due to COVID-19. There are many artists in the city who are
signed on to perform through DCASE, as it is one of the few remaining
institutions with the resources to pay artists. That reality is
appreciated and is not the focus of our critique. We do not under any
circumstances want artists to feel pressured to cancel their shows
(with DCASE or with the City) based on the stance that we took. To be
transparent, I (Sen) had previously stated that my payment from this
show would be donated because I am currently in a position of
privilege to do so, with low risk to my livelihood. However, not every
artist has the security to do the same, and no one should be asked to
choose between their beliefs and their livelihood. That is certainly
not something that we are asking.
We also believe that DCASE should not be asking the artists of Chicago
to make that choice. We believe that it is our right to utilize the
DCASE platform to speak freely and reasonably to relevant political
issues. DCASE’s stated Mission is “to enriching Chicago’s artistic
vitality and cultural vibrancy” including “ fostering the development
of Chicago’s… independent working artists…” Further, DCASE identifies
their values to include “Advocacy, Diversity, Equity, and Access.”
Accordingly, a City program dedicated to this Mission and those values
should not seek to censor free expression and reasonable, timely, and
relevant criticisms of its political leadership. In fact, it should be
encouraged, because a vibrant Artistic community necessitates the
freedom of its artists to engage in social and political discourse.
Without that social depth of expression, the City is merely
perpetuating an Entertainment Industry, and not fostering the vitality
of its artistic community. The Mayor and the Administration of DCASE
do not own the City and its platforms, and it is their responsibility
to be very transparent about their current policies related to free
expression. We want to reiterate the original message calling for
police to be defunded and CPAC enacted, while also highlighting that
this situation illuminates another way in which the current
administration works to silence voices of protest.