Nevada County, California July 29, 2020 – Addressing current racial injustice and inequity, recent Nevada Union High School graduates are producing an online fundraiser for organizations both locally and nationwide that work to support Black and Brown communities. Held on July 30, 2020 at 6:00 PM, the virtual concert will support seven organizations that address a range of issues including prison reform, food justice, and mental health, with a shared mission to counteract systemic racism.
In the words of the organizers “it is no secret that Nevada County is a majority white county. With such a demographic, some might say (after driving by mostly white protestors in Brunswick) that the Black Lives Matter movement has little relevance to our town. Such a mindset, however, purports that the problem of racism is a people of color problem, and thus can only be addressed by people of color themselves. In reality, systemic racism was created by, and is sustained by, white people, who bear responsibility for undoing such a system.”
Creating Communities Beyond Bias and Color Me Human are two local organizations working to heal racism within our community. The Youth Justice Coalition works in Los Angeles to help youth of color find a way out of the prison system and TGI Justice Project does the same for transgender and intersex-variant folks in the Bay Area. The Bail Project works nationally to combat mass incarceration, and Phat Beets Produce works in the East Bay to bring fresh, nutritional food to low-income neighborhoods of color. The Loveland Foundation provides the financial means for Black women and girls to access mental health services.
The fundraiser will kick off at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 30th with a virtual concert using the online Zoom platform. Local musicians, including Brett Shady (from Golden Shoulders), Davia, Evan Rashby, and The String Sisters will perform. Representatives from the racial justice organizations will speak about the significance and impact of their work. An online donation platform will become available July 30th and end August 4th.
The first $6,000 raised will be matched with support from BriarPatch Food Co-op, and four private community donors.
Those interested in attending the concert to enjoy local music and learn more about the local and national fight against racism, register here: https://bit.ly/nc4blm.
Follow Nevada County for Black Lives on Facebook where the donation link will be posted, and the concert will be live streamed: https://bit.ly/nc4blmfacebook.
A note from the organizers: “We would like to acknowledge our position as majority white, privileged people. We intend to use our networks for the redistribution of capital as a form of reparations for the ways in which whites have benefited from a white supremacist system–a system which has caused continual harm against, and oppression of, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Please support this effort, and donate toward the work of racial justice.”
Learn more:
- TGI Justice Project http://www.tgijp.org/
- Youth Justice Coalition https://youthjusticela.org/history/
- Creating Communities Beyond Bias http://www.healracism.com/creating-communities-beyond-bias.html
- The Bail Project https://bailproject.org/
- The Love Land Foundation https://thelovelandfoundation.org/
- Phat Beets Produce https://phatbeetsproduce.org/urban-gardens/
- Color Me Human https://colormehuman.org/about
WHAT: Nevada County for Black Lives – A live, online concert featuring local Nevada County musicians and 5-day fundraiser for national fight against racism
WHO: Organized by NC Students for Racial Justice
WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday, July 30
WHERE: Zoom and Facebook Live! REGISTER: https://stanford.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tdeugqz4vHtwsUytFvdtpWTkPR9-jZKJJ