Due to the new Texas law banning abortion, and paving a path for any person who assists and supports a person in getting an abortion to be sued, we respectfully ask the Board members of the Jazz Educators Network to relocate the January 2022 conference, slated to be in Dallas, to another location out of the state Texas. 

The Jazz community has been trying to move away from its misogynistic, patriarchal history by creating a more inclusive space for woman in the music and on the bandstand.  We still have a long way to go but taking steps like this to support woman can be one way of showing solidarity and support for a woman's right to own her body and make decisions about her body on her own terms without the governments involvement. 

Though I fully understand that a change in venue for this conference would be a huge undertaking, I believe it is the right thing to do and would create an abundance of goodwill towards JEN and strengthen its connection to our Jazz community.    

Please sign this petition if you agree that the Jazz Educators Network should NOT have their 2022 conference in Texas and should not be a part of creating revenue for a state that does not protect women's rights. 

****Additionally, Texas currently has a mask mandate ban that is putting children and adults at higher risk of contracting and spreading COVID.