Statement of Support from the NEFO
The NEFO stands in solidarity in fighting racial injustice alongside people of color in our family, our community, and across the United States.
This group was founded to experiment with what happens when an orchestra sheds its traditional hierarchical structure. Our aim is for all members to be engaged in choosing what we perform, how we perform it, and to explore multiple roles within the organization.
It is core to our mission and close to our hearts that all people are heard, empowered, and respected. With this in mind, we have chosen to set aside our current projects in order to place focus on BIPOC voices who are doing the excruciating work of demanding to be heard in a societal structure that simply will not listen.
We will take pause so we may listen, learn, and act to affect social change.
To all of our friends, fellow musicians and audience members, we encourage you to stand with us in support of our BIPOC family and community. Below is a list of resources to donate, continue learning and get involved.
In the midst of COVID19 and the long-standing issues affecting our country, we hope for positive change and will try to contribute as much as we can.
Be safe everyone, love and treat each other with kindness.
All descriptions below have been quoted directly from the mission posted on each linked site.
Views For A Vision - No donation needed - By simply playing through the entire video and not skipping the numerous advertisements placed throughout, viewers will be helping to raise money that will go to support #BlackLivesMatter initiatives.
Black Lives Matter - global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition - stemming the contraction and transmission of COVID-19, and leaving Black residents and Black businesses in a better place post-pandemic than we were before and during. We believe that the only way to accomplish our mission is to interject ourselves into every aspect of the response and recovery process.
NAACP Foundation - to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons. The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.
Black Trans Advocacy Coalition - The Black Trans Advocacy Coalition (BTAC) is the only national organization led by black trans people to collectively address the inequities faced in the black transgender human experience. Black Trans Advocacy Coalition works with communities in the U.S. and across the globe to foster diversity, inclusion and equality for all people and is lead by the Black Transmen, Inc., Black Transwomen, Inc and Black Trans MX organizations.
National Center for Transgender Equality - The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.
The Okra Project - The Okra Project is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them.
LGBTQ Freedom Fund - Resist is a foundation that supports people's movements for justice and liberation. We redistribute resources back to frontline communities at the forefront of change while amplifying their stories of building a better world.
Boston Black Pride - Boston Black Pride is a program of Boston Pride dedicated to serving the needs of communities of color in our region. Boston Black Pride events, produced by Boston Pride in collaboration with other community organizations, focus on creating spaces and visibility for everyone.
Center for Black Equity - The Center for Black Equity is the National leader in connecting members of the Black LGBTQ+ community with information and resources to educate, engage and empower their fight for equity and access.
MPDC/Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) Contractors Relief Fund - MPDC has long been committed to fostering and uplifting the talent pipeline of local minority labor and contractors. The MWBE Contractor Relief Fund affirms this commitment by providing access to dedicated resources that allow contractors to return to work safely.
Black Boston Book Giveaway Project - Donations will supply books to public lending libraries so they can share the untold story of the early Black Internet pioneers.
The Trevor Project - Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
SUPPORT DIVERSITY IN THE ARTS
NAAC Boston - Our mission is to create powerful relationships between arts organizations, the public, and every sector of civic life to build an arts sector that represents the true character and diversity of our city. ArtsBoston is a leading force behind Greater Boston’s arts and cultural sector.
AFRORACK - Audio arts organization with a goal of helping the community develop and thrive through technology resources, committed to providing children and young adults of color access to modular synthesizers and sound design tools.
Artists Against Racism - To build an understanding of all people. To speak to the youth, the future of our global community, about the basic human right of equality, so that a civilized society will finally result.
Sphinx Organization - social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Sphinx’s four program areas – Education & Access, Artist Development, Performing Artists, and Arts Leadership – form a pipeline that develops and supports diversity and inclusion in classical music at every level: music education, artists performing on stage, the repertoire and programing being performed, the communities represented in audiences, and the artistic and administrative leadership within the field.
Sign the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition CHEERRS Legislation Bill - This legislation is designed to respond to the disparate outcomes in COVID-19 deaths experienced by Black and Latino/Latinx individuals and the underlying disparate impact they experience across health, economic, and educational outcomes.
Support Local Black-Owned Businesses:
Black Boston - Search and learn about black-owned businesses, find events and support initiatives in the Boston area.
Support Black Owned Businesses
Black-Owned Businesses North of Boston
60+ Black-Owned Breweries to Support Across the Country
Some Reading Resources:
8 Lessons from “The Future of Solidarity: How White People Can Support the Movement for Black Lives”
4 Steps That I and Other White People Can Take to Fight Racism
Internationally Act: Racism, Racial Equity, and Resilience Resources - VISION: Resilient people and organizations with the humanity to foster belonging, the humility to learn, and the hope to envision and create a more racially equitable world. MISSION: To activate consciousness, catalyze critical thinking, and transform capabilities that advance racial equity and build resilience in organizations.
Enhance your professional and personal [PROPER] development, Gain insight into the individual and organizational opportunities to build Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts that truly advance racial equity, Learn about Books, E-Books, Articles, Tools, and Videos to Support Your Journey.