Musicians to Wear White Roses at Grammys in Solidarity With Time’s Up
Rapsody, Dua Lipa, Halsey and other members of the music industry will wear white roses at Sunday’s Grammys ceremony as a gesture of support for the Time’s Up movement. The Time’s Up coalition was formed on January 1st, and many film and TV stars endorsed the movement at this month’s Golden Globes ceremony.
The music industry’s show of solidarity was organized on Monday by Meg Harkins, Senior VP at Roc Nation, and Karen Rait, head of rhythmic promotions at Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records, according to Billboard. “We need to say, if anyone is feeling like they’re being discriminated against, and they don’t feel safe in their workplace, they have people who will support them,” Harkins explained.
Rait added, “music artists have a lot of impact … So it’s only fitting that that music’s biggest night show the support for equality and safety in the workplace and that people need to be cognizant of their fellow employees.” In a statement, the organizers of the demonstration said they chose a white rose as their symbol of support “because historically it stands for hope, peace, sympathy and resistance.”
Kelly Clarkson, Cyndi Lauper, Rita Ora and Tom Morello have also either agreed to wear roses or shown support for the demonstration. Organizers also sent out a letter encouraging others in the music industry to wear white roses of their own. “Please join us in support of equal representation in the workplace … Leadership that reflects the diversity of our society, workplaces free of sexual harassment and a heightened awareness of accountability,” the letter reads. “The world is listening.”
Three hundred actresses, executives and other film industry employees announced the formation of Time’s Up on New Year’s Day. The emergence of the coalition followed a series of allegations of sexual assault against a number of high-profile film executives (Harvey Weinstein), actors (Dustin Hoffman) and directors (Brett Ratner). In an open letter, the organizers of Time’s Up said they “want all survivors of sexual harassment, everywhere, to be heard, to be believed, and to know that accountability is possible.” Time’s Up has already raised more than $15 million for a legal defense fund to help women fight sexual misconduct.
Though Hollywood has been shaken up by accusations of sexual misconduct, there have been fewer allegations to date against people in the music industry. On Wednesday, however, Russell Simmons was accused of rape – the latest in a series of allegations of sexual misconduct against the former music mogul – and sued for $5 million in damages. The singer Halsey spoke about facing sexual abuse during the Women’s March rally last weekend.