Newsroom

Los Angeles and the nation have felt the reverberation of the blatantly racist comments shared among the City of LA’s Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, and former County Federation of Labor head, Ron Herrera. Their words, and more importantly the sentiments that they reflect, are revolting, divisive and simply wrong.

Arts for LA stands for an equitable, healthy, vibrant, and creative Los Angeles, and we cannot continue to put trust in leadership that perpetuates abusive and harmful colonial legacies. We stand with those supporting today’s resignation of Councilmember Martinez, and calling for the immediate resignation of Councilmembers Cedillo and de León. Los Angeles needs and deserves representation that centers community interest, builds solidarity among Angelenos, and creates a compassionate and supportive environment where everyone can live, work and thrive. The recordings are proof that we need to continue to work as a community to dismantle institutional racism in all its forms.

We call on our artists and creative community to lift up your voices and use your special gifts to demand a Los Angeles united against hate and racism. LA needs healing and restorative justice; artists always have played and always will play a critical role in making that a reality.