Valeisha Butterfield Jones’s first month as the Recording Academy’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, George Floyd was murdered. In the weeks that followed, music executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang organized Blackout Tuesday, creating a list of demands for the music industry in regard to “growth opportunities for Black people.” When Jones saw the social media campaign, tagged #TheShowMustBePaused, she called Thomas and said, “Sis, we have your back.
