Presented by The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, this special edition of LA Sounds Now integrates the Still Waiting speaker series, bringing together these two vital cross-school initiatives to offer a unique window into the current state of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the music industry. Co-moderated by the Herb Alpert School of Music Inaugural Dean Eileen Strempel and Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (and multiple Grammy Award winner) Arturo O’Farrill, the series will explore the intersection of EDI in the music industry through engaging conversations with industry professionals, artists and special guests representing the rich diversity of the Los Angeles music ecosystem.

This series of weekly conversations will focus on the history, issues, and ongoing struggles that continue to animate the stark contrast between the music industry’s leading artists— often Black artists, female artists, and other artists of color—as compared to the industry’s executive and professional ranks. This “representation gap” has inspired conversations and activism in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, but what has happened since that time? Inspiring and impactful examples of change that weave together music, activism and social justice are explored, alongside their genesis, process and possibilities for modification and replication.