On Sunday, June 28th, over 50 artists and tens of thousands of fans came together for Justice Comes Alive, a one-day, virtual festival harnessing the power of music to bring about collective change in response to racial inequality. The donation-based streaming event generated $55,000 and counting in funds for the participating artists, who remain out of work as the pandemic continues, as well as a number of social justice-oriented causes via PLUS1 For Black Lives Fund.
The 12-hour live-stream marathon featured new contributions by an array of amazing artists from around the world including Antibalas frontman Amayo, who performed a solo rendition of “Fight Am Finish” from the group’s latest album, Fu Chronicles. Amayo dedicated the song to “you youths out there fighting for justice,” before launching into the impassioned number, transcribed for solo piano.
Also included in the Antibalas segment at Justice Comes Alive was a timely new composition called “Say Their Names”. On the sobering track, Amayo’s voice reads off an ever-expanding list of the victims of police brutality over accompaniment from the beloved afrobeat outfit. The powerful ode to the Black Lives Matter movement goes on for a devastating seven minutes as name after name after name reminds viewers of the deep-rooted pattern of systemic violence against minorities that continues to pervade American society.
Revisit the Antibalas segment from Justice Comes Alive below. If you enjoyed the performance and have the means, please consider making a donation to Plus1 For Black Lives Fund via www.JusticeComesAlive.com.
Antibalas – “Fight Am Finish”, “Say Their Names” – Justice Comes Alive
Presented by Live For Live Music in partnership with PLUS1 and Nugs.TV, Justice Comes Alive was conceived as a way to harness the power of music to bring about collective change in response to racial inequality. All funds raised from Justice Comes Alive will be split evenly between the artists on the bill and the PLUS1 For Black Lives Fund, which was developed to address and continue the fight against anti-Black racism and violence in the U.S.
Directly supporting organizations like Equal Justice Initiative, Impact Justice, and The Bail Project, the PLUS1 For Black Lives Fund focuses on empowering Black communities, movement building, keeping people out of the criminal justice system while dismantling it more broadly, and a collective, international narrative change toward the equitable treatment of Black people. 30% of the PLUS1 for Black Lives Fund is also committed to small grants for Black and Indigenous-led grassroots efforts combating racism. For more information on Justice Comes Alive, head here.