June 11, 2020

The Drop Daily—5 Things for 6/11/20

5 minutes

This is mostly visual, with some clips and some videos, so we suggest you check out the YouTube version!

Take Two Knees—New York Philharmonic’s Anthony McGill. The Principal Clarinet started an initiative on May 30, by posting a video of himself playing the clarinet before getting on his knees in a prayer for justice and decency. He encouraged his friends and musicians to join him, which inspired a bunch of responses.

Jon Batiste Leading Musical March in NYC. The New Orleans legend who is now leading the band on Stephen Colbert’s show led a march to bring attention to systematic injustice. He said “"We are the ones who are responding to the 401 years of generational trauma and oppression that our ancestors bore. We're standing on their shoulders. We are the ones who can change a generation for women. We have the power right now. We are the ones."

Detroit Techno Float. During a Black Lives Matter protest in Detroit, we saw a float and a dance party, all set to techno music. This was a reminder of the way techno started, as a form of protest and a reaction to inner-city strife in Detroit.

Lean on Me in DC. There was a moving singalong to this Bill Withers classic during a protest in DC last week. Singer Kenny Sway led the crowd, but you can hear hundreds and hundreds of people singing along with him.

Jam Sessions in Philly. To bring it home, I’ll talk a bit about my new home, Philadelphia. It was amazing to see all the different jam sessions, dancing circles, and more that popped up around the city.

Music always has been, and always will be, part of the way people fight against injustice, violence and racism. Let’s keep it going. Organizations you can support: Color of Change, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Campaign Zero, Black Lives Matter, National Bail Fund Network.

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