John,

We just came out of a meeting with Kelle Rozell, Chief Marketing and Storytelling Officer at Color Of Change, and what we learned is definitely worth sharing.

On Sunday, Feb. 5, the 65th GRAMMY Awards will air across the nation honoring the year’s top recording artists and honoring the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. While it may not be visible to viewers, a highlight of the Grammys also will be the impact and success of the #ChangeMusic Inclusion Rider for the second year in a row!

Can you remind me, what’s an Inclusion Rider? Great question, John.

An Inclusion Rider is a template and a contract provision that allows companies and individuals to ensure and measure diverse hiring. In this case, the Recording Academy used the #ChangeMusic Inclusion Rider to create a diverse GRAMMY Awards, both on stage and behind-the-scenes.

John, what makes the Inclusion Rider so powerful is its simplicity. But we need your help getting the Inclusion Rider in front of key decision-makers who will determine who is hired in the future for crucial roles on and off stage. Chip in $25 or more to fuel this game-changing work.

Because of COC’s partnership with the Recording Academy last year for an Inclusion Rider, nearly 40 percent of the production staff and crew hired for the 64th GRAMMY Awards broadcast were women and nearly one quarter were people of color.

The Recording Academy also implemented the Inclusion Rider in their GRAMMY Week activities, like the MusiCares Person of the Year gala honoring Joni Mitchell. The result: More than 30 percent of the production staff and crew were people of color, and women comprised at least half of the team.

And finally, at the Recording Academy Honors Presented by the Black Music Collective, more than 80 percent of the production staff identified as people of color, while women represented more than two-thirds of the production staff.

We expect great momentum, because of Color Of Change and the Recording Academy's commitment to advancing racial equity in entertainment. This is the impact of racial justice. That's why COC has been involved in advocacy like this since the beginning.

Will you chip in $25 or more to help us apply pressure and move other American institutions that have turned their backs on racial justice for more than 60 years? Not only are you helping to decide the people who tell our stories but you also are helping to prioritize stories by women and people of color and ultimately share them with the world.

Until Justice Is Real,

The Marketing & Storytelling Team
Color Of Change