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Black Lives MatterJazz music and dances are Black American art forms. Swing music and dance have been shaped by the experience of oppression, slavery, and segregation. Lindy Hop emerged as a defiant, joyous response to financial hardship caused by the Great Depression, harsh living conditions, and systemic racism. As a community that enjoys this amazing dance and music, it is important to know and celebrate its history. It’s also equally important to celebrate its culture, its values and the very people and communities who have created it. Not only out of respect and in an effort not to be appropriative, but because Lindy Hop is a dance of Black liberation, and simply because of our shared humanity. If we do not support Black liberation today, we have no business dancing and teaching Lindy Hop. At OSDS, we strive to educate ourselves, to act in solidarity with Black liberation initiatives, and to make changes in order to make our community safer and more just for everyone. If you want to contribute to these goals, please send us an email at osds.safety.committee@gmail.com Please check out our summary of the history of Lindy Hop, as well as this list of educational resources and calls to action compiled for swing dancers in Canada. - OSDS Executive Committee |
