Pearl Jam Reflect On "Unconscious Racism" And How To Do Better

Amid the ongoing George Floyd protests and Tuesday's music industry blackout, Pearl Jam say they have been reflecting on "unconscious racism" and how they can do better.

The Seattle grunge legends have long been active in various political and ethical matters, beginning a statement regarding what's going on in the world right now by writing, "Pearl Jam was started with a love for music and social justice."

With that in mind, Eddie Vedder and co. have spent their time lately "reflecting on where unconscious racism is still showing up in our own lives and how we can do better".

Read this: The 30 stages of Pearl Jam's evolution

"While we continue to dig in, we do not want to contribute to white voices overtaking the narrative that the Black community is sharing," they say. "It is the responsibility of each of us to listen and educate ourselves on how to be better humans sharing this planet."

The band have also linked to a "possible starting point" for fans wanting to do their part – the Performative Allyship Is Deadly blog, which explains what those who want to be better and geniune allies can do (“An ally is someone from a nonmarginalized group who uses their privilege to advocate for a marginalized group… Performative allyship usually involves the 'ally' receiving some kind of reward — on social media, it’s that virtual pat on the back for being a 'good person' or 'on the right side'.”)

Wondering how you can make a difference?

• Donate to George Floyd’s memorial fund.
• Fight for Breonna Taylor, a first responder who was killed in her bed by police searching for drugs that were never found.
• Help the family of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was shot while jogging.
• Donate to the community bail funds of protestors.
• Head over to Movement For Black Lives.
• Connect with leaders building grassroots campaigns.
• And check out these anti-racism resources.