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 members of New Orleans-based brass outfit The Soul Rebels including Erion Williams, Manuel Perkins Jr., and Julian Gosin who shared their thoughts and feelings on this important moment in our country’s history, deliver messages of unity and positivity, honor great Black women in history, and more while John Coltrane’s “Alabama” played in the background.
Related: The Soul Rebels Share Lyric Video For “Greatness” [Watch]
“There are some tough things that we’re going through and all the hatred and racial tension is just draining,” Williams told the audience at the start of the video. “I just want to tell everybody, look we’re all in this together, let’s stick with each other, let’s be positive, let’s promote peace, and that’s all The Soul Rebels are about.”
Perkins also added, “If you weren’t being treated fairly how would you feel? We want everybody to think about that. We just want everybody to be treated equally and treated fairly in places where you have earned the right to be called a citizen of that country.”
Relive The Soul Rebels’ virtual messages of unity for Justice Comes Alive below. If you enjoyed the Justice Comes Alive performances and have the means, consider making a donation to Plus1 For Black Lives Fund via www.JusticeComesAlive.com.
The Soul Rebels – 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.