A recent conversation on reparations remains a topic of debate from politicians to celebrities. Now, a festival in Detroit, Mich., inserted itself with a cost. According to CNN,the festival’s Eventbrite page, hosted by Afrofuture Youth, advertised POC or “people of color” tickets for $10 and Non-POC tickets for 20 dollars. However, after it received backlash from multiple sources, AfroFuture is reversing its initial ticket sale decisions.
The two-part festival, set for (Aug. 3), is in co-creation with community leaders where youth will start the day by restoring resilience, and reimagining stability. It’ll be followed by what the festival calls “Essence Fest meets Afro-Punk,” stating that it’ll host “A 360 transformative dreamscape centering Detroit’s Black Magic performers and Artisans with community.”
Rapper Tiny Jag, who was set to perform at the event, dropped out and apologized to fans that “may have been triggered or offended.”
sorry ily guys??? pic.twitter.com/MfhuQeEX0U
— this a burner (@tinyjaguar) July 2, 2019
The festival organizers reportedly received threats and Eventbrite wanted to remove the gathering from its website. In a statement to CNN, the site says it does not “permit events that require attendees to pay different prices based on their protected characteristics such as race or ethnicity.”
For the safety of our community, family, elders who received threats from white supremacists,& youth who were subjected to seeing racist comments on our IG pg,Afrofuture Fest has changed our ticketing model to $20 General Admission & suggested donation for nonPOC on @eventbrite pic.twitter.com/6wQXEjRKtt
— Afrofuture Youth (@AFYDet) July 7, 2019
The festival’s hosts also provided an explanation on the event page stating that “Events often designed for marginalized Black and Brown communities can be easily co-opted by those with cultural, monetary, and class privileges,” and that “Non-POC individuals are encouraged to provide additional donations as acknowledgment of this historical inequity.”
Afrofuture Youth is a youth-led initiative, creating worlds to support black life through Afrofuturism via art, tech, media, and healing, according to its website.
For the safety of our community, family, elders who received threats from white supremacists,& youth who were subjected to seeing racist comments on our IG pg,Afrofuture Fest has changed our ticketing model to $20 General Admission & suggested donation for nonPOC on @eventbrite pic.twitter.com/6wQXEjRKtt
— Afrofuture Youth (@AFYDet) July 7, 2019
