New Music Video Tells Story of Silicon Valley's Growing Inequality Issues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afnZIQAI4L8

In a unique gathering of civic leaders, civil rights advocates, and cultural artists, Silicon Valley De-Bug held a forum on the growing economic disparities facing Silicon Valley. The event, packed shoulder to shoulder, took on an innovative approach by premiering a music video at Camera 12 Movie Theater in downtown San Jose. The video, called "Gold Out West," is by hip hop artist and community organizer Andrew Bigelow (artist name: Society). The 23-year-old Bigelow was inspired to write the song after marching 30 miles with dozens of fixed income Silicon Valley residents from East San Jose to the campuses of Google and Apple in a march called "Heal the Valley" in the winter of 2013. Bigelow says, "I believe in the power of music to bring these very real issues to light, put them on blast, and make the conversation bigger." While employment and quality of job issues are front and center in the discussion of Silicon Valley's mounting disparity, so is housing. Sandy Perry of the Affordable Housing Network helped organize and lead the Heal the Valley March. He says, "If Silicon Valley cannot even keep its people from freezing to death in the winter, what are we good for?" San Jose City Councilperson Ash Kalra said the forum was an opportunity to recalibrate how we create a better future for Silicon Valley. "The bringing together of cultures and traditions from around the globe here to Silicon Valley can be one of our greatest strengths, but only if we use our collective resources to lift up those who are being left out of the enormous opportunity being generated by the global titans of the 21st century industry", says Kalra. Watch the video below, and click the link to the "Gold Out West" Resource Page for more videos, articles, and news on the topic of Silicon Valley economic disparity issues. (For media inquiries, workshops, or classroom presentations, contact: svdebug [at] newamericamedia.org) #goldoutwest