Black Lives Matter

As an organization that serves New York City's Black and Brown youth, we stand in solidarity with the protests going on all over the world against police brutality and the ongoing systemic racism that murdered George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and countless other victims.

We long for a world where everyone has an opportunity to shine and chase their passions to impact their communities. The reality, however, is that racism and injustice continue to persist in the world and the work we do to empower young Black and Brown students is more important than ever.

We must always build an anti-racist agenda into our work and in our engagement with our community. We will always stand in solidarity with our Black community in the fight for justice. Intersectionality, equity, and inclusion will always be a guiding light as we build Building Beats.

We are committed to educating and empowering our youth about these injustices through music so they can benefit their communities. Significant times like these are why we teach. Music has always been a form of resistance as well as a healing force. 

Black Lives Matter. 

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We’ve compiled links to some resources for those that want to learn, teach and support each other during these times. 

For Those That Wish to Donate:
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund
Black Lives Matter
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
National Bail Fund Network
People's City Council Freedom Fund
Atlanta Solidarity Fund
Nourish NYC
Emergency Release Fund
Campaign Zero
Bail & Mutual Aid Funds

Books, Podcasts & Resources For Youth to Learn From:
Children's Books That Discuss Race & Racism
How to Virtually Protest
NPR’s Code Switch
How To Be Antiracist
About Race
Women, Race and Class
Seeing White
The 1619 Project
What a Day
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
5 Ways White People Can Take Action In Response to White and State-Sanctioned Violence
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

For Fellow Educators:
Teaching Materials and Resources Related to Teaching for Black Lives
Classroom Resources for Teaching Tolerance