FAI 2027: Chicago, Illinois, United States
January 27-31, 2027
- FAI 2027
- Artists
- Attending
- partners
Cultural Equity Council
The Cultural Equity Council is an independent advisory and listening body that engages with the Folk Alliance International community to help shape equitable organizational policy and strategy.
DEIA STATEMENT
Folk Alliance International is a US-based organization committed to fostering a global folk music community that reflects the rich diversity of voices, traditions, and lived experiences that shape our world. We believe that folk music—rooted in culture, community, and storytelling—thrives when all people feel welcomed, respected, and empowered to participate.
We actively work to create equitable opportunities for artists, industry professionals, and audiences of all backgrounds and identities, including but not limited to:
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Nationality
- Immigration Status
- Indigeneity
- Gender Identity
- Sexual Orientation
- Age
- Ability
- Religion
- Socioeconomic Status
We recognize that systemic barriers have historically limited access and representation within the music industry, and we are dedicated to dismantling those barriers through intentional programming, partnerships, and policies.
Accessibility is central to our mission. We strive to ensure that our events, platforms, and resources are inclusive and usable for all, continually improving our practices to meet diverse needs.
We also commit to ongoing learning and accountability. By giving all members of our community a safe space to fully express themselves, amplifying underrepresented voices as an impetus towards meaningful action, we aim to build a more just and inclusive folk ecosystem, where everyone can share their stories towards a more universally accessible tapestry of our collective experiences.
Together, we honor the roots of folk traditions while shaping a future grounded in equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Language is living. The words we use to describe identity, belonging, and equity shift as our communities grow and as we learn from one another. This statement is not a finished product; it is an ongoing reflection of our values, updated as our understanding of our community deepens.
CULTURAL EQUITY COUNCIL 2.0
The second iteration of the Cultural Equity Council will begin the process of creating a Cultural Equity Kit for the Folk Alliance International community through hosting virtual town halls, conducting research through surveys, and speaking with membership. The Council is a formal arms-length listening body independent of the FAI Board and staff with the goal to make equity recommendations to inform FAI’s new strategic plan, moving from initiatives to policy.
FAI's Executive Director attends CEC meetings to share information and provide support to the committee.
This project is part of FAI's effort to ensure a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible folk music industry, free of racism, harassment, and discrimination. This initiative is at the heart of FAI’s stated community and organizational values.
Contact the Cultural Equity Council through FAI’s DEAI Coordinator Janice Jo Lee at equity@folk.org
MEMBER BIOS
Lindsay White
Lindsay White is an award-winning songwriter, author, and organizer based in San Diego, CA. A two-time San Diego Music Award winner and Kerrville New Folk winner, her work explores gender, queer identity, mental health, grief, social responsibility, and more. Current projects include collaborating with the San Diego Community College District on accessibility and wellness initiatives, curating and managing the nonprofit music series Songwriter Sanctuary San Diego, and creating reflective processing tools through Qulyn journals. She lives in San Diego with her wife Audrie and daughter River and is currently working on a hybrid memoir-album, Dead Mom Talking.
Sariyah Idan
From the hills of Woodstock NY, now based in the New Orleans swamps, Sariyah Idan is an awarded singer-songwriter, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, and captivating performer of genre-fluid originals and innovations on covers. When not touring or playing local venues, she plays the famed busking scene on Royal St. and is known among locals and tourists as “the most hauntingly beautiful voice of the French Quarter streets.”
Sariyah is also an event producer and community organizer. She runs a monthly music/poetry and social justice series called "Songs For The People", spearheads a network of Jewish Artists for Palestinian Liberation, and co-moderates the Jewish Folks Affinity Group for the FAI community.
As a member of the CEC she looks forward to cultivating a culture of compassion, of holding complexity, and creating frameworks for the folk music community to nourish greater harmony, justice, and imagination in our society. Website Instagram@sariyahidan Facebook@SariyahWorld
Israel Ekanem
AKA DJ Ubuntu is a Nigerian-Canadian storyteller, producer, and DJ who uses music to build community and celebrate the beauty of Africa. Through Afro House Propaganda, a conscious dance series framing events as "transmissions" of liberation through rhythm, he transforms dance floors into spaces of collective joy and resistance. He founded the Ubuntu Podcast Network and the All Voices Society, empowering BIPOC and Queer voices through storytelling workshops and media labs. Hosting The Off Kilter Show on CKDU Radio, he champions African diaspora sounds. Under Ubuntu Music, he's releasing his self-produced debut EP Act I: Inside. His mission: to build community through music and showcase Africa's beauty, one beat at a time. Instagram@IsraeliEkanem
Ashley Shabankareh
(she/they) is a New Orleans musician, educator, and arts administrator. She serves as Director of Operations and Programs for the Trombone Shorty Foundation, where she leads strategic program development and organizational initiatives supporting young musicians.
In addition to her work in nonprofit leadership, Ashley is an adjunct professor at Loyola University New Orleans, Xavier University, and Tulane University, teaching music education, low brass, and creative industries. Her career spans arts education, curriculum design, and community-based programming, with a focus on expanding equitable access to music and cultural resources.
Ashley is Board President of Folk Alliance International and an At-Large Trustee of the Recording Academy, contributing to national leadership in the music industry. An active performer, she appears as a trombonist and vocalist and has collaborated with renowned artists across genres. Website Instagram@Shabonkadonk
Chinyi C
I am a folk-pop artist who writes music centred on stories of moving across borders, healing through human connection, and the search for home. I grew up in Singapore and am currently based in Toronto, Canada. I lived in multiple countries including the U.S., South Korea, and Morocco over the course of my life, and playing music helped me to connect with other people across language barriers. Being on the move and learning to rebuild homes in new places, along with navigating my identity as a Southeast Asian woman, has shaped my lens on the world and my work. Besides being an artist, I've worked in areas of data equity, anti-racism, community advocacy, leadership facilitation, sexual violence prevention, crisis management, and international education. I'm looking forward to contributing to CEC's efforts in developing a cultural safety toolkit and amplifying underrepresented voices within the folk music community.
Website Instagram@ChinyiCMusic Facebook@ChinyiCMusic
Amy Putnam
is a New Hampshire based visual artist, folk/acoustic music fan, photographer, writer, and more. Her own art is primarily expressed through stained glass and chainmail. She also works as webmaster and social media support for a variety of acoustic musicians. For the past couple of decades, she has filled many roles throughout folk music, and is currently a member of the NERFA Board of Directors, cultivating relationships around all areas of the folk community. Additionally, for over 15 years, she has moderated a large, unofficial Facebook forum of alums hailing from her alma mater, Wellesley College, allowing her to witness, learn from, support, and advocate for numerous life experiences and viewpoints. Amy is a member of the LGBTQ community and has a hearing disability. With the CEC, she is looking forward to listening, boosting voices, and supporting the amazing array of perspectives in folk music.
Tonya Dyson
Tonya Dyson is a Memphis-based singer/songwriter, cultural producer, and arts consultant with deep roots in the city’s music scene. As a Black woman in the arts, she centers equity, creativity, and storytelling in all her work. Her artwork blends performance, songwriting, and production to highlight soul, R&B, jazz and hip hop traditions while fostering new voices in the community.
With over 20 years of experience producing festivals, concerts, and educational programs, including Soulin’ on the River, Welcome to Neosoulville, and Build-a-Block[Party], she has worked to connect artists, audiences, and organizations to advance creative equity. On the Cultural Equity Council, Tonya looks forward to amplifying underrepresented voices, promoting equitable access to resources, and strengthening the music community through mentorship and inclusion.
Bertrand Evans-Taylor
Bertrand Evans-Taylor is an arts advocate, cultural organizer, and community event producer working at the intersection of equity, policy, and creative practice. He serves as Director of Government Affairs at Dance/USA, leading federal advocacy efforts that support the sustainability of artists and arts organizations.
Bertrand is also the Executive Director of the Black American Music Movement, where he works to reclaim and sustain Black musical legacies within folk and roots music through initiatives such as the Black American Music Summit.
He holds a Master of Arts in Arts and Culture Management with a concentration in Advocacy and Outreach and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work, grounding his work in care, equity, and collective power.
Janice Jo Lee - FAI DEIA Coordinator
Janice Jo Lee (she/they) is a contemporary folk musician, composer, sound designer, spoken word poet, actor-clown, and educator based in Toronto. Her artwork explores climate grief, antiracism, loneliness, friendship, and her Korean heritage. She is a dynamic and engaging performer, and performs with guitar, trumpet, vocal looping and jjangu drum.
