In a move that makes their awards show the first of its scale to implement an inclusion rider, according to an October 19 statement by the Recording Academy, the 2022 Grammy Awards show will use an inclusion rider to “ensure equity and inclusion at every level.”
Introduced in 2014 by Stacy L. Smith, a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, “inclusion rider” is a term that has become increasingly known after Frances McDormand said it during her 2018 Academy Awards acceptance speech.
An inclusion rider is a provision that requires a certain level of diversity. The Recording Academy’s inclusion rider will see the organization partner with Color of Change to support the inclusion of “those who have been and continue to be under-represented,” according to a statement from the Recording Academy.
Speaking on the new inclusion rider, Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said,
“I am proud that the Academy is leading the charge in releasing an inclusion rider for the music community that counters systematic bias.”
Kalpana Kotagal (partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll), Fanshen Cox (production and development executive at Pearl Street Films), Valeisha Butterfield Jones (co-president at the Recording Academy), and Allie-Ryan Butler (founding director at Warner Music) helped put together the inclusion rider for the 2022 Grammys. Rashad Robinson, Color Of Change’s president, remarked,
“With the inclusion rider, Color Of Change and the Recording Academy are working to change the rules that have enabled systemic discrimination in the music business for far too long.”
The 2022 Grammys aims to acknowledge those who have been underrepresented in music, including Black Americans, Indigenous people, Asian American & Pacific Islanders, and other Non-Black people of color, as well as women, people with disabilities, those over the age of 40, religious minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and more. The inclusion rider states,
“The Recording Academy recognizes that it has an opportunity improve hiring practices for the productions and events in which it is involved, and thereby seeks to deepen diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by taking affirmative measures to consider diverse applicant pools, hire qualified individuals from under-represented backgrounds, and to hold itself accountable by gathering and reporting information and making meaningful contributions to support the hiring of people from under-represented backgrounds.”
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Katie – Flickr: IMG_1188