Jam News / Updates
FOUNDATION BOARD STATEMENT
June 4th, 2020
The Full Moon Jam vehemently condemns police brutality and stands alongside our community in the fight against racism, fascism, and white supremacy. It is a privilege that we are able to gather, in public, spinning fire freely while so many Black lives have been lost simply for being Black. This privilege comes with the responsibility to ensure that all who participate in the Jams, whether performer, volunteer, or spectator, feel safe and can enjoy our art form without fear.
We acknowledge that this city has a deep, harmful history of redlining, gentrification, and the hyper policing of Black communities. We acknowledge that what we are witnessing in this moment is a direct result of those historic injustices, years of systemic racism, and anti-Black violence being ignored. We acknowledge that it is not enough to share words of comfort, solidarity, or apology—too many of us have benefited from and been complicit in the oppression of Black people, so we must use our platform to facilitate change and amplify the voice of those this city has tried to silence.
We ask our community to listen to and uplift Black voices. It is imperative that we listen, learn, and take direction from Black people on how to best support them and be accomplices in dismantling white supremacy. Right now they are calling us to direct our time and energy to advocate for police accountability and call for justice to be served for the murders of Tony McDade, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many countless others.
Our actions should mirror our words, so we will be postponing the Digital Full Moon Jam scheduled for today, 6/4, with a new date TBA. Right now it is vitally important to direct the energy and passion of our community toward doing the work of dismantling the systems that enable police brutality against Black and brown people, as well as turning our eyes inward to recognize and dismantle those same systems and biases within ourselves.
This is the least of what we owe to those in our community who have suffered under this oppression for far too long and yet have contributed so much to the vitality and spirit that is the FMJ community. There is a joy and power in our artistic expression that is unique and will need to be shared as part of creating that better future and healing our city, and everyone should get to experience it, not just those of us who have had the privilege of living lives untouched by racist, anti-Black violence.
For those who wish to learn more about what you can do to help, here is a list of resources to start with:
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We Need Diverse Books Resources for Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion
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Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (from ALA’s Public Programming Office’s Great Stories Club)
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List of Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners (books for children and young adults)
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Moving from Actor to Ally to Accomplice
On behalf of the Full Moon Jam, the Board of Directors is making a donation to Black Lives Matter Chicago. If you wish to donate to organizations or causes, Black Lives Matter has curated a list of organizations that could use your support. In addition to those, there are several groups and organizations in Chicago that are advocating for reform, as well as providing support and services for those most vulnerable and in need right now:
If you know of any additional resources and organizations we should add to this list, please send an email to info@fullmoonjam.org. We also encourage folks who wish to learn how to be better accomplices to search out training such as Lighthouse Foundation’s upcoming “Anti-Racism for White Folks with Rev. Smash” on June 20 (free, pre-registration required).
Black Lives Matter.
Signed,