Protest the Grammys!
Reinstate the Musical Categories now!
Music Rights is Our Fight!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
3:30pm until 5:00pm
corner of Figueroa and W. Pico Blvd
Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Grammywatch.org and Presente.org invite you to join us in a protest to demand that the Grammys reinstate the 31, mostly Latino, Black, Asian and Native American categories.
Come Support Musicians --- Blues, Mexican, Latin Jazz, Gospel, Cajun, Native American, Hawaiian, others --- fighting for music justice!
Join us in sending a message to Grammy President Neil Portnow and the Grammy Board and Demand that they Reinstate the Musical Categories now!
Bring your instruments and play with us...
Following the protest, come listen to the music the actual music the Grammys wants to stop recognizing.
Alternative Grammy Party
4:00pm- 8:00pm
Mama Juana's Latin Lounge
3707 Cahuenga Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Presente.org
We Want Latin Music
Fully Recognized at the Grammys
To sign petition, click here
Insiders at the Recording Academy quietly eliminated 31 categories of awards from the Grammys this year, at least 15 of them which are received predominantly by people of color.
Awards for Latin Jazz, Regional Mexican, Banda, Tejano, and Norteño music, all central to Latino culture, were eliminated or consolidated. Awards for Native American, Hawaiian, and Cajun music were eliminated too.
Musicians like Carlos Santana, Ruben Blades, and Bobby Sanabria have all come out under the umbrella of grammywatch.org against these changes, some even calling them racist. As tens of millions prepare to watch the Grammys, let's show the Recording Academy just how many fans the music they refuse to recognize has. Sign this petition so that we can get these categories reinstated by next year.
The Message
Tell Recording Academy President Neil Portnow:
It is unacceptable for the Grammys to cease to honor categories of music that are an important part of our heritage and culture.
We're joining musicians like Carlos Santana, Ruben Blades and Bobby Sanabria in demanding that the Recording Academy reinstate awards that are received predominantly by musicians of color and which are relied upon by thousands of music professionals for their livelihood.
Please work to reinstate these awards as soon as possible.
To sign petition, click here
Presente.org joins
the Rev. Jesse Jackson,
Dr. Cornel West and
Grammywatch.org
in Fight to Restore Music
and Cultural Diversity to the Grammys
Presente.org (February 3, 2012)
San Francisco, CA --- Presente.org, the largest online Latino advocacy organization in the nation, with a growing membership of more than 250,000, announced today that it will join the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Bill Cosby, Ruben Blades, Bonnie Raitt,
Dr. Cornel West and Grammywatch.org, in their fight to demand that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) immediately restore all 31 Grammy categories that it eliminated last April.
NARAS, the producers of the Grammys, made the decision to eliminate these categories, comprised mostly of ethnic music, without the knowledge of or input from the organization's 21,000 members or their elected representatives; and, in so doing and by failing to apply the new eligibility criteria in a non-discriminatory manner, violated NARAS' own bylaws and procedures.
The Grammys will air its annual show on CBS, on Sunday, February 12. Some of the eliminated categories include: Latin Jazz, Traditional and Contemporary Blues, Cajun/Zydeco, Contemporary and Traditional Jazz, Polka, Mexican Norteña, Native American, Gospel, R & B and Hawaiian music.
Presente.org Executive Director, Arturo Carmona, said: "Neil Portnow and the big bosses at the Grammys, have committed a deplorable act of greed and racial discrimination by deleting music categories that are so central to the lives of so many. Portnow and the Grammys have nothing to celebrate, and deserve a lifetime achievement award for putting profit over people. We are honored and highly motivated to join the fight to re-institute the deleted categories, on behalf of the millions who love Latin Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Cajun/Zydeco, Jazz, R & B, Mexican Norteña and other musical genres."
In the coming days, as NARAS prepares to celebrate the Grammys, Presente.org and its allies will take actions to educate the larger community about the discrimination and greed that drove NARAS to delete the music categories. NARAS was established decades ago specifically to honor the work of all artists, who contribute pridefully and passionately to the unique rhythms and sounds of American music. These hostile actions by NARAS represent yet another clear example of the oppressive climate surrounding Latinos, African Americans and other groups in the US.
With more than a quarter million members, Presente.org is a major national organization dedicated to amplifying the political voices of Latino communities in the United States.
For further information:
Rafael Noboa y Rivera, 202.455.4673
Blair Fitzgibbon, 202.503.6141