By harnessing the power of music, we can orchestrate social transformation | Opinion

For ages, music has been a catalyst for change and innovation around the world. Anthems have been the revolutionaries’ heartbeat. Iconic compositions have inspired creativity and fueled public consciousness. Music helps us share our stories. It is how we communicate, learn and explore.

Music provides a window into our person and a point of entry to our cultures. Genres like merengue, rara, hip-hop, reggae and others are the composition of our community. By making space for culturally affirming music and programs — by listening, engaging and grooving together — we build empathy and foster a sense of belonging.

Creating an appreciation for cultural diversity is needed more than ever and not just when it comes to music. Recent years have underscored how pervasive racial inequity is and how important it is for everyone in our community to share responsibility in addressing it. Discussing topics of race and equity may be uncomfortable, but it is necessary to inspire change. In moments of uncertainty, the most important thing we can do is unify and do the hard work — to learn, listen and grow as a community.

In 2020, our youth absorbed the impacts of health and economic crises, amplified by political, social and racial unrest, all while navigating virtual learning, isolation and shifting household dynamics.

Yet throughout this uncertainty, we saw the fortitude of humanity as we searched for creative outlets to process their grief, hone their talents and create beauty in the face of opposition. In fact, a survey by the award-winning mental-health resource Verywell Mind reported “79% of our readers said they turned to music during the pandemic to cope.”

The arts are one of the greatest levers for healing, self-expression, mind and body development, and social activism — but only when access exists. And access to these types of programs is an equity issue.

Since 2020, we have led the Music Access Miami initiative, which was launched thanks to the vision and support of philanthropist Daniel R. Lewis. Music Access Miami aims to ensure every young person across Miami-Dade County has access to high-quality music programs. As the first phase of this three-year initiative comes to a close, the work will continue.

With support from our community partners, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, a new phase begins with the upcoming fall launch of Artlook Miami. This digital tool and collective movement centers information and insights to help all community stakeholders understand the impact, equity and standards of quality arts learning throughout Miami-Dade County.

But this effort requires more hands. More voices. More understanding.

What can we all do? We can band together. We can lift each other. As we’ve done throughout this year’s YWCA Community Justice Challenge — a community-wide challenge, part of a national movement to understand how issues of race, power, access and leadership show up in everyday life — we can unite to educate ourselves, combat injustices and create wide-reaching access to opportunities for all.

YWCA’s Community Justice Challenge inspires all people to join forces in education and understanding, creating a social-justice jam session where all citizens can advance equity and justice for those around them. This year’s challenge included a week dedicated to music, exploring topics such as its use as a voice for oppressed communities, its role in driving social progress, how race and gender intersect with the arts and how access and education can make a difference.

For us at the Miami Foundation, the challenge opened a gateway to a further understanding and appreciation of music’s role in helping build and heal our society.

We must use our voices. We must amplify our objections. We must sing together as one community and let it be known that change is here and that it begins with us. If we can unite as we’ve done in these past weeks, there is no limit to the change we can enact together.

Kunya Rowley is director of music access, arts and culture at The Miami Foundation.