Sarah Hankins's blog

On Saturday, June 12, 2016, queers of color, their friends and allies, were killed and wounded in the midst of a musical celebration; their place of sanctuary was destroyed, their families and communities were plunged into nightmare. Since June, we’ve seen the mass-shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando filed away as just one more entry in an American catalogue of horrors.

In addition to the entries that were contributed in response to our call for submissions, this collection includes three cross-publications from a special issue of SEM Student News. The Student News issue, which features editorials on decolonizing ethnomusicology, likewise includes two contributions from our volume. We are proud to collaborate with SEM Student News in this regard and grateful for their involvement in our project.

Club Rasta is a tiny place on HaRakevet Street in south Tel Aviv: 20 square foot dance floor, DJ booth, nicely stocked bar, a few tables and chairs.  Small as it is, you can’t miss the entrance; it’s marked by a larger-than-life painting of a crowned lion in front of an Ethiopian flag, and the sounds of heavy bass that spill into the street.  Open on Tuesdays and the weekend, Rasta is the neighborhood bar of choice for Et