The last two years have been a test of how western societies treat their most underrepresented communities. The murder of George Floyd, as well as other forms of violence such as the treatment of Asian Americans during the pandemic, encouraged underrepresented people to speak out, once again, about how structural racism manifested in their respective industries. Blackout Tuesday was an initiative by two Black women working in the music industry that called on companies to carve out a day (2 June 2020) for honest reflection, and to forge plans to implement long-lasting change. Radio stations and TV channels altered their schedules to include moments of silence and discussion about diversity. It was an impressive show of support. But two years on, has anything actually changed?
It’s worth noting that before the social unrest of 2020, some substantial industry initiatives were already under way. Three years earlier, Netflix had started Strong Black Lead in order to amplify its content for audiences of colour. Since 2020, the channel has created Asian, LGBTQIA and Latin American counterparts called Golden, Most and Con Todo respectively. In 2016 UK Music launched the UK Music Diversity Report, an industry-wide survey that sought to accurately collect and publish the industry’s gender and ethnicity data.
