#Roommates, an upcoming music festival in Detroit is making a bold statement by charging non people of color twice the amount to attend! Now, they are backtracking expeditiously!
According to the New York Times, Afrofuture Fest has changed the pricing structure to charge a standard rate of $20 for all those who would like to attend. The Eventbrite page initially lists tickets at $20 for people of color, and $40 for non-POC.
Co-director of the event, Adrienne Ayers, says the decision to change ticket prices comes after “threats and harassment”. She says she has been receiving threatening calls, and messages to her family.
“For safety, not anything else but that, the new ticket structure will be a standard set price across the board of $20,” Adrienne says. “However, there will be a suggested donation for non-people of color.”
Adrienne says the original price structure was created because “events often designed for marginalized black and brown communities can easily be co-opted by those with cultural, monetary, and class privileges.”
She also highlights how events like these can help build a future for the youth.
“Our goal is to ensure that the youth of our community can participate in the building of a more just society, one that specifically promotes equity over equality,” she says.
Organizers of the festival plan to donate fifty percent of the profits to Afrofuture youth. The sponsored program is dedicated to creating positive activities for Detroit’s young people.
According to it’s website, the program is sponsored by Allied Media Projects and aims to give young black people resources to build a “new, more equitable world,”.
The festival is set to take place on August 3, and welcomes around 200 people. Adrienne says the initial up-charge was not a problem for some white people.
“There were a lot of white people who were telling us they didn’t mind paying extra, she says. “Quite a few.”
Do y’all see an issue with the original pricing, Roomies? Let us know in the comments!
