No Justice - No Grammy

So what is going on with the Grammys? Insiders at the Recording Academy quietly eliminated 31 categories of awards from the Grammys this year, at least 15 of them which are received predominantly by people of color. Awards for Latin Jazz, Regional Mexican, Banda, Tejano, and Norteño music, all central to Latino culture, were eliminated or consolidated. Awards for Native American, Hawaiian, and Cajun music were eliminated too. But is it really harsh? Sure the shady quietness of this move isn't too cool at all, but aren't there Latin Grammy Awards? Some might argue having a separate awards ceremony seems like we're not good enough but some might think the opposite

There's even a petition to reinstate the awards at presente.org. And for those looking to take this to the grassroots level can actually go protest the day of the Grammy awards on 2/12/12. I wonder if the Grammy awards are being presented in Arizona? Too soon? Either way, the quiet deletion of these categories to me is disrespectful. Music is music...it's the one form of expression people have the most freedom and creativity. According to a Reuters article, "Paul Simon, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt and Bobby Sanabria are among the dozens of artists who have spoken out against the decision. Musicians say the Grammy cuts will harm their careers financially and diminish the profile of music enjoyed by minority communities." So what are your thoughts? Did the Recording Academy perform the right move? They claim 100+ categories diminish music credibility.