Music / Politics

NZ musicians band together for Black Lives Matter cause

08:53 am on 22 July 2016

Raising funds for Black Lives Matter at Auckland bar Neck of the Woods Photo: Grant Apiata

New Zealand musicians united in Auckland this week to send a message of solidarity to racial minorities. About 40 artists, including P-Money and Che Fu took to the stage for charity to raise awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement at the Neck in the Woods bar on K road.

Black Lives Matter has been at the forefront of protests over police killings of black people in the United States.

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One of the organisers behind the event, DJ and producer Soraya Le Pread says racial profiling and gun violence in America is something New Zealanders should care about.

“I grew up in New Zealand.  I was born in Waikato hospital and I grew up in Parnell. My dad is African-American, my mum is Persian and I have lived in America for a while and I kind of got familiar with what has been going on over there.

“When I came back, a couple of my friends – after all of the recent activity that has been happening in the news – who are not African-American, or African, or American, expressed that they felt like they wanted to do something to raise awareness or do something to say this is inhumane and it is not right.”