As Black Music Month came to a close, SiriusXM, Pandora, and Cricket Wireless team up to foster Black youth’s curiosity through music and creation.
On Tuesday, June 25, high school-aged students from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles spent the day at SiriusXM for their “Rhythm in Action” event, wherein they learned from company leads, engaged with panelists, participated in workshops, and sang along to a live performance by LA-native, KalanFr.Fr. In an effort to lean into intentional programming for the month-long celebration, the companies set out to illuminate what possibilities are out there, if you know where to look.
The final panel, moderated by Joshua “J1” Raiford, VP of Programming at SiriusXM Pandora, was stacked with industry professionals including recording artist KalanFr.Fr, music producer Ray Romulus, Senior A&R at RocNation Earl Johnson, and Maurice Slade, the Head of Marketing and Artist Relations at SoundCloud. Inquisitive students asked how each of them got their starts in the industry, who their inspirations were, and what led them down their particular paths.
Just before KalanFr.Fr ended the panel with a personalized performance (one that found bubbly teen girls singing along word for word), he was asked how it felt to be onstage alongside so many other LA artists for Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth show, “The Pop Out: Ken and Friends.”
“It was an amazing experience because so many of us artists needed that. Not just career-wise but emotionally. The narrative has been for so long that the LA music we make and love is frowned upon, is too “LA-sounding,” he explains. “For all of us to be together up there with Dot, and for the number of people watching? What it’s doing for the artists involved is unexplainable; I over-appreciate it.”
This idea of possibility, inspiration, and belonging permeated every conversation and lesson bestowed that day. “My job as an artist is to keep up with you guys. You guys are writing the future. Ya’ll can shape it. It’s up to ya’ll,” KalanFr.Fr affirms to the room.
Lauren D. Williams, SVP, Organizational Culture and Change Management and Jennifer Rogers, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at SiriusXM sat down with ESSENCE to discuss these themes and more as we look at the importance of Black music and its legacy. The titles they hold are robust, but the importance lies in how they’re fulfilled. When it comes to the music industry which is so entrenched in the culture, and by default, Black music and culture, Williams says it is crucial for DEI & B to be “embedded within the fabric of the company.” This evolving goal is the driving principle behind much of their programming for the month.
Much can be said about diversity initiatives birthed in 2020, but four years later, Williams and Rogers are resolved to enrich and expand on promises made. Rogers details how the idea behind events such as “Rhythm in Action,” is to bring the next generation into this space, allow them to see what can be achieved by people who look like them, and truly know and believe that they belong. “You can’t be what you can’t see,” she expresses.
The two executives explain that while Black Music Month offers an opportunity to further spotlight the contributions of diverse Black art to society, the focus does not start and end with the month of June. On championing diversity and belonging at SiriusXM, Rogers and Williams emphasize three central tenets: authenticity, sewing roots in community, and ensuring the company’s personnel reflects the artists it platforms.
“I 100 percent firmly believe that when you have diversity in your walls, it positively impacts your bottom line,” says Williams. In an industry that benefits greatly from Black music and creation, it is important for the artists to be represented and advocated for at all levels, which starts by diversifying who is doing the work.
Kimberly Washington, VP of Resource Development at Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles further stresses the importance of opportunity, as well as positive and varied exposure. Black youth need to see the wide range of possibilities within the music industry and beyond, further than the limited options they are presented with. Through her work, Washington finds that more than anything, the youth need to be heard. One of her primary goals is to foster these voices, especially of Black Los Angeles youth, and show them that the issues they’re passionate about, the dreams they have, “it can be done.” When it comes to music and events such as this one, she states, “it’s about [having] a place and a platform.”
Washington discusses how the missions of SiriusXM Pandora and the Boys and Girls Club aligned and brought this to fruition because at the core, “we want to empower youth; to be their best selves, to seek, to lead, explore, achieve and dream. [SiriusXM] gives students a platform to explore and find out what else is happening in the industry to achieve their goals.” Washington looks to the future of the music industry and all others by flipping the term ‘workforce’ on its head. “It’s about giving kids inspiration, and letting them know that they’re the force behind what they can be and what they can do.”
“Rhythm in Action” concluded with SiriusXM and Cricket Wireless donating $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Metro LA to support their continued efforts, and sent students off with newfound ideas about where their creativity can lead them.
