The Recording Academy has launched the Black Music Collective (BMC), a group of black musicians and professionals that is aimed at amplifying black voices within the Academy and the wider music industry.
Jeffrey Harleston, Jimmy Jam, Quincy Jones, Debra Lee, John Legend, and Sylvia Rhone have been named as honorary chairs of the Recording Academy BMC. Recording Academy Trustee Riggs Morales and Washington, DC chapter executive director Jeriel Johnson will lead the initiative internally, with a leadership committee to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Harvey Mason Jr, chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy, said: "The Black Music Collective is necessary to help drive the Recording Academy into a new era. Creating an open space for black music creators can only benefit our membership as a whole.”
The Black Music Collective is necessary to help drive the Recording Academy into a new era
Harvey Mason Jr
“Through the past few months, I've been personally invested in propelling this collective along with Chapter leadership within the Academy," Mason Jr added. "Together, we will elevate black music creators within our organization and the industry at large."
Valeisha Butterfield Jones, chief diversity & inclusion officer of the Recording Academy, said: "As black music continues to drive culture, it is essential we grow and maintain representation within the Academy and the music industry. We're thrilled to help develop the leaders of tomorrow with impactful educational and experiential programs that we will announce in coming weeks."
Recent Recording Academy diversity initiatives include the hiring of Butterfield Jones as chief diversity & inclusion officer, a $1 million donation to Color of Change and alignment with #TheShowMustBePaused.
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