PLC Statement of Solidarity

 We, the Portland Lesbian Choir, commit to lending our voices to the continued fight against racism. Since our creation in 1986, community and harmony have been at the center of our mission. The beauty of choral music is its ability to bring together different voices that meld into song. Together our collective voices can be an instrument of celebration, joy, healing, learning, and even grief. The queer community has a powerful legacy of coming together to address injustice and brutality, and now is the time to call on this very same legacy. Now, more than ever, this voice must become a call to action and an agent of change.

We lift our voice in solidarity, denouncing the violence that has been perpetrated on Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in this country from its inception. We acknowledge the history of enslavement, colonization and brutality that runs through our economic, justice, education, and social systems to this very day. We mourn the loss of the incalculable lives taken as a result of this violence, such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery to name just a very recent few.

Going forward, we have collectively committed to move from allyship and into action. We commit to seeking out composers of color and highlighting the work of diverse artists in our performances. We will work to create a more diverse choir that centers voices of color while embracing the wide tapestry of human gender and sexuality. We will examine internal systems to address our own unchecked bias and privilege, owning and correcting whenever it arises. We will prioritize the creation of an Equity and Belonging Committee to hold us collectively accountable for the promises we are making now. We move forward in solidarity and will raise our voices and lend our collective resources to fight against racism, inequity, and any system that creates harm in our community.