LISTEN: L'dor V'dor Black Futures Month Playlist

February 01, 2024

A message from Graie Hagans, Chief Vision Officer at Bend the Arc:

Can I talk about the future with you? Today is the first day of Black Futures Month, a tradition created by the Movement for Black Lives in 2015 that invites us to not just reflect on Black history, but also dream of Black futures.

As a national Jewish organization working to defend democracy against authoritarianism, dismantle white supremacy, and realize Black liberation in the United States, we know that Black futures are Jewish futures are our American futures.

To mark this moment of reflection on our collective past-present-future, I’ve curated a playlist of songs influenced by the Jewish theme of L’dor V’dor, from generation to generation.

— OPEN ON SPOTIFY —

Like those who came before us, we must continue to believe in a world beyond oppression, beyond the binaries of us vs. them, beyond subjugation — and then build toward that possibility of a thriving multiracial democracy. We must make a better world together, like every generation before us.

As you listen this year, I invite you to reflect on your relationship to your own ancestors, elders, and descendants (whatever these mean to you): What is the generational work for you to do or undo? What can you do in this generation that those who came before could not? What must be done so that the burden does not fall to those to come?

As you think about these questions, open up our L’dor V’dor playlist on Spotify. May it be a soundtrack to your day, your work, and our movements for justice — not just this month, but into the future we're building together.

Keep an eye on your inbox and our social channels throughout February — we’ll continue to celebrate Black Futures Month with our visions for the future, invitations to joy, and opportunities to expand our wildest imaginations of what the future might hold.

L'shalom,
Graie