Not really-- with segregation per se, inviting a person of color wouldn't be the same kettle of fish at all.

"Segregation" is nominally under the control of the power group. This, however, seems more like a situation under the control of the people who organize/book/perform/attend. That usually has more to do with, do the folks already involved have any friends who are people of color, and what comes up when you think about inviting them to participate? Friends tend to want to do things together, which is a whole lot different from the approach, "Excuse me, but we don't have a lot of black people come to our event, can you come?" (Icky-- but people actually DO that, even if not in so many words.)

In the work I've done around race issues, whatever the particular presenting issue is, it usually boils down to relationships. For instance, if one is an organizer, does one personally know any African American artists to consider including? If one is an artist, does s/he know people of color to consider including in the band? If one enjoys attending, does one have a friend of color who maybe one had not thought would like to come?

If not (to any of the above), why not?

What keeps the color line (and other barriers) in place these days is usually a case of forgetting to think about ANY group that's under-represented (out of sight out of mind), and having unexamined discomfort about not knowing what is OK to do about that. So, overcoming that state of affairs requires thinking about it, and then looking to one's relationships.

~Susan
~Susan