DPF Community, 

 

We are grieving over the Black lives relentlessly taken because of

systemic racism and white supremacy, which perpetuate police brutality

and the spread of COVID-19 in Black communities. We name those

most recently slain: 

 

George Floyd    Ahmaud Arbery   

 

Tony McDade    Breonna Taylor  

 

Every Black life lost to COVID-19

 

And we are tired because the tragic stories of these Black bodies are no new phenomenon. From enjoying a night at home to jogging on a warm day, merely existing while black has itself always been dangerous in America. But we must continue to tell our stories -- of tragedy, triumph and common humanity. 

 

We at Detroit Podcast Festival remain committed to our mission to uplift the stories of Detroiters, which effectively means the stories of Black lives. We are proud to be a Black woman-led entity in a majority Black city. In solidarity with efforts to advance #BlackFutures and make it plain just how much #BlackLivesMatter, we’re amplifying our mission, starting now. We will continue to: 

 

• Uplift Black-led podcasters and storytellers of Detroit and Metro Detroit on all social media channels

• Uplift Black, Detroit-based or bred podcasters and storytellers intentionally throughout 2020 programming and into the future.

 

And in this time of so much loss and unrest, we hope you find the following resources as helpful as we have:

 

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We are gearing up for Detroit Podcast Conference 2020 this fall and placing our commitment to our mission at the forefront. We will keep you posted on more details as they come. 

 

We are thinking of you and wishing you love, resilience, light and strength.

 

Sincerely, 

 

Erin Allen

Executive Producer

Detroit Podcast Festival

CEO