Some words from co-founder and CEO
Janine Irons MBE
Both the Covid lockdown and the events that followed the senseless killing of George Floyd in the US have had a huge impact here at Tomorrow’s Warriors – a black-founded and black-led organisation that has a focus on reaching and championing young black talent and girls in jazz.
Jazz music was the sound of the Civil Rights movement in America. It is the sound of the unheard and still has so much relevance for today. We have a responsibility to our young people, Music Leader faculty, professional musicians, staff and partners to stand with our black community against racism, hate and injustice.
We are passionate about celebrating and encouraging black excellence, black equity and growing the diversity of the UK Jazz scene.
We aim to work with partners in the industry on solutions and actions and we will also continue to be there to support our young people through what is a hugely tumultuous period, and aim to give them the consistency they need through our programmes.
Our mission is to focus on those facing the biggest challenges: black and minority ethnic and girls. We will also continue to be inclusive to all backgrounds, as naturally the interest in our programmes is much wider than our core demographic.
Black music and culture continues to be an enormous part of the music industry’s success. Tomorrow’s Warriors plays an important role in the industry from the grass roots upwards and will continue to invest in the future of UK Jazz and the next generation of talent.