Festival backtracks after backlash for charging white people more

An Afrofuturist group is walking back its decision to charge white people more than black and brown people for tickets to its festival after receiving threats and having an artist back out of the event.

An “Early Bird POC Ticket” for the Aug. 3 festival in Detroit initially sold for $10 to people of color, while an early bird “NONPOC” — how the group describes white people — cost $20, according to the festival’s Eventbrite page.

{mosads}“Equality means treating everyone the same. Equity is insuring everyone has what they need to be successful,” the page reads. “Our ticket structure was built to insure that the most marginalized communities (people of color) are provided with an equitable chance at enjoying events in their own community.”

“Affording joy and pleasure is unfortunately still a privilege in our society for [people of color] and we believe everyone should have access to receiving such,” it continues.

The price differences prompted backlash on social media, with one user calling the move “foolishness.”

Thank you for taking a stand against this foolishness.

— Finis L. Dailey, III (@FinisLDaileyIII) July 8, 2019

I’m in shock i can’t believe you can charge people different prices for tickets based on their color? Really?Disgusted!

— Laura lesniak (@Lauralesniak9) July 8, 2019

As a native Detroiter, I am shocked, and hurt, at your original pricing based on race. If you want white people to come out and explore African culture, so they can better understand and relate to the black experience, this was NOT the way to encourage them to do so.

— CandyTruong (@CandyTruong0122) July 8, 2019

Rapper Tiny Jag said last week that she was unknowingly added to the event but agreed to perform anyway. She tweeted that she was “triggered” once she heard the differential pricing and then said she would not be playing the event.

sorry ily guys pic.twitter.com/MfhuQeEX0U

— TINY JAG (@tinyjaguar) July 2, 2019

Eventbrite told CNN in a statement that it doesn’t “permit events that require attendees to pay different prices based on their protected characteristics such as race or ethnicity.”

“In this case, we have notified the creator of the event about this violation and requested that they alter their event accordingly,” the statement read. “We have offered them the opportunity to do this on their own accord; should they not wish to comply we will unpublish the event completely from our site.”

The group tweeted Sunday night that the festival has changed its pricing to be $20 for general admission, as well as a suggested donation for non-people of color.

For the safety of our community, family, elders who received threats from white supremacists,& youth who were subjected to seeing racist comments on our IG pg,Afrofuture Fest has changed our ticketing model to $20 General Admission & suggested donation for nonPOC on @eventbrite pic.twitter.com/6wQXEjRKtt

— Afrofuture Youth (@AFYDet) July 7, 2019