“Oberlin Conservatory issued an apology after backlash against a flier for ‘A Celebration of Black Artistry,’ a virtual performance that ended Black History Month,” writes Emily Bamforth in Monday’s (3/1) Cleveland.com. “The flier highlighted the all-white group performing. The conservatory is housed at Oberlin College, a private, liberal-arts school. The apology, posted on Sunday evening hours after the flier was posted on social media, noted that the virtual performance was the last in a month-long series of events for Black History Month. ‘We acknowledge that it was a mistake to post this event out of context, and without pictures of the composers themselves, and we are deeply sorry. We will continue to be reflective and consider our policies moving forward in order to prevent a post of this nature from happening in the future,’ the apology read. The flier has since been deleted. Commenters on the online apology take issue with the statement that the post was ‘out of context,’ instead stating the problem is that an all-white group is performing a recognition of Black composers. The post with the apology links to several statements and initiatives surrounding racial justice [at Oberlin], including a presidential initiative on racial equity and diversity.”
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