Country artists, labels and country music organizations posted about Black Lives Matter on social media, participated in Blackout Tuesday or denounced racism outright.
But Black artists say the industry still needs to address the systematic racial barriers that have been entrenched in country music for decades.
Stereotypes that country music is just for White audiences and sung by mostly White males are reinforced daily on country radio, playlists, label rosters and tour lineups.
Historically country music was created by and played across both White and Black communities in the South, but White country music was marketed toward the rising White middle class as a way to make the genre more respected and hugely profitable, said Amanda Marie Martinez, a historian and writer who is studying country music and race.
But just as country artists outwardly reflect a predominantly White image, there are few Black country music executives working behind the scenes, too.
