LET US BREATHE:

A Proactive And Honest Discussion Of Human Rights

In partnership with Aijne Williams, owner of Upper Octave Productions, and Jarreau Williams, artist/singer, together we formed Let Us Breathe - a proactive and honest discussion of human rights to address issues pertinent to the events world, entertainment, and our community.

OuR missioN

  • Foster a conversation regarding the human rights battles we are fighting and create a “courageous” and proactive space, in which to do that. 

  • Honor and recognize that we, as a society and human race, are fighting a human rights battle.

  • Be proactive (and positive, when possible) in creating a change in us as individuals, our teams, our companies, our community, our nation, and our world.

  • Educate ourselves and others about human rights issues.

  • Approach each conversation and meeting with love and compassion. 

 

CONCERT FOR HEALING

Featuring artists from the Lucy Black Entertainment team in collaboration with Upper Octave Productions and AVLD Events. As musicians, we express our emotions through our art, so we sought to create a courageous space for our team to share a personal and meaningful performance. 

​Our goal is to create a proactive movement for change. In order to support our community and industry, we selected two local charities to highlight, Bread for the City and The MusicianShip, for their incredible work in the DC area. Please click the links for more information and consider donating, if you can.

Aired on Facebook Live at 6PM, June 19, 2020 and re-aired on YouTube July 3, 2020

FORUM 4

This forum focuses on the ladies! We look at how being a female, specifically woman of color, affects us in the entertainment industry, and how the events industry can do better.

This is a joint partnership with Aijne' Scope Williams, owner of Upper Octave Productions, and Jarreau Williams, artist/singer.

It is imperative to have these discussions with open hearts and minds. We hope you will join us and help amplify the voices of those who have gone unheard.

Aired on Facebook Live at 6PM, July 29, 2020

FORUM 3

As we keep the conversation going, it is imperative that we examine and discuss the entertainment industry within events. Pulling in the perspective of the artist, production, and agency sides, the core partners of Let Us Breathe will discuss how racism affects these areas and how we can be proactive to make real changes.

This is a joint partnership with Aijne Williams, owner of Upper Octave Productions, and Jarreau Williams, artist/singer. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Aired on Facebook Live at 6PM, July 8, 2020

FORUM 2

Continuing our conversation, we are welcomed team members, Troy Edler and Anissa Smalls, singers/artists on the forum, to discuss their personal experiences and how we can all do better as we move forward.

This is a joint partnership with Aijne Williams, owner of Upper Octave Productions, and Jarreau Williams, artist/singer. It is imperative to have these discussions with open hearts and minds. We hope you will join us and help amplify the voices of those who have gone unheard.

Aired on Facebook Live at 6PM, June 10, 2020

Forum 1:

On the heels of the murder of George Floyd, we are laying the foundation of our mission and inviting three teammates, Rayshun LaMarr, CaShandra Bacon, and Earle Lloyd, to join the discussion of racism and human rights.

It is imperative to have these discussions with open hearts and minds. We hope you will join us and help amplify the voices of those who have gone unheard.

Aired on Facebook Live at 6PM, June 3, 2020

We will not be returning to business as usual - this is our commitment to our team and community, as the world is beginning to reopen.

We will not be returning to business as usual. We need to do better. To go back to pre-COVID, pre-outraged America, means we are going back to doing the minimum required for our teammates and our nation.

We will not be returning to business as usual. Understanding, honoring and uplifting the humanity of EVERY teammate and partner is the core of who we are, as well as the foundation of Lucy Black Entertainment. Until now, this has been a private and personal action, but it is just not enough. We HAVE to do better.

We will not be returning to business as usual. Our teammates are hurting. Deeply. Daily. So we need to do better. It all starts at home, with family. Our team IS our family. Both as individuals and as a company, we pledge to uphold, honor, and fight for the basic human rights of our team, our partners, our industry, our community, and our nation.

We will not be returning to business as usual.

RESOURCES:

**Please note, these are a general list of organizations/ resources and our team has not extensively vetted each organization. Please do your due diligence as you consider making donations, etc.
W. K. Kellogg Foundation - Solidarity Council on Racial Equality

Anti-Racism Resource Collection

Diverse Books - List of Organizations, Books, Black-Owned Bookstores, and Educational Resources

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

So You Want To Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century - Timothy Snyder
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness - Austin Channing Brown