🥁 Sunday December 4th was Sinterklaas, a Dutch holiday celebrated in the Netherlands, Belgium, and their colonies. Although Sinterklaas is a holiday that brings harm to Black and Brown people through the racist caricature called Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) Batala New York was excited to perform at Sinterklaas in Hudson Valley in Rhinebeck, NY, which has successfully removed the racist caricature from the festivities as a whole. All artists everywhere should come out against racism in all its forms and make a commitment to use art for social justice. We women of Batalá continue to deepen our appreciation and respect for the Black liberatory roots of Afro-Brazilian music, especially Samba Reggae, and continue manifesting our support for Black lives. #zwartepietisracism #blackfaceisracism #blacklivesmatter