As we observe Black History Month, it’s important to reflect not only on national history, but on the history of our own union. Many people are unaware that musicians’ unions in the United States were once segregated by race, with separate locals operating side by side under unequal conditions. This was not incidental, it was structural and deeply unjust.
What makes AFM Local 47 stand out is that we were a pioneer in dismantling that system. In the late 1940s and 1950s, well before segregation was made illegal, our local played a leading role in unifying musicians of all races into a single local. This required courage and conviction at a time when doing the right thing came with real resistance. That decision reshaped the labor landscape for musicians in Los Angeles and set a powerful precedent for what solidarity should look like in practice, not just in principle.
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Since founding the Kadima Conservatory of Music in 1983, AFM Local 47 member Beth Elliott has been active as its music director, dedicated to providing music education to underprivileged youth from underrepresented communities. The Conservatory has been operating in Pacoima for over a decade and has over 300 students of all ages enrolled in private lessons, three symphonic orchestras, chamber music, student recitals, and a mentoring program.