The music retail and streaming platform have also allocated $30,000 annually to organisations campaigning for racial justice.
Bandcamp has announced that this coming June 19th and every following June 19th they will be donating 100% of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The NAACP LDF is an American national organisation which aims to enact racial justice through litigation, advocacy and public education. They have also announced that they plan to allocate an additional $30,000 (£23,700) annually to partner with campaigning organisations for racial justice and to “create opportunities for people of colour.”
Their announcement comes in the light of the recent killing by white police officers of George Floyd in America. Floyd’s murder triggered worldwide protests, including huge street demonstrations in the UK. Bandcamp stated:
“The recent killings of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Sean Reed, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the ongoing state-sanctioned violence against black people in the US and around the world are horrific tragedies. We stand with those rightfully demanding justice, equality, and change, and people of colour everywhere who live with racism every single day, including many of our fellow employees and artists and fans in the Bandcamp community.”
“We’ll continue to promote diversity and opportunity through our mission to support artists, the products we build to empower them, who we promote through the Bandcamp Daily, our relationships with local artists and organisations through our Oakland space, how we operate as a team, and who and how we hire.”
The date of June 19th or ‘Juneteenth’ is significant as it is an American holiday that commemorates emancipation from slavery.
There are a number of relevant organisations that you can donate to:
With thanks to Blacklight Media for photograph permission.