Where Is Our Song

My heart, mind, and spirit have been a little heavy lately. It has almost felt like somewhat of a burden to express my thoughts, so my apologies for the absence. During this period, however, I have taken time to really reflect and process recent societal events. With the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and news yesterday of George Floyd, it is hard not to feel a modicum of hopelessness. Constant fear, escalated anger, and unbearable heartache, all leading to secondary PTSD, have people grappling to find a remedy for something that appears out of our control. We are constantly asking, “When will this end; when is enough finally enough?” The brutality and dehumanization of blacks have been going on in this country since our inception on this land, but in 2020…really, this is still our reality? Another question that I have been pondering is “Where is our song?” I know that sounds so insignificant compared to what is going on, but just stay with me for a minute.

Dating back to slavery, Black people have used songs to uplift, encourage, guide, and push us forward. Songs known as “Negro Spirituals” were used to embolden and convey messages. Songs like “Follow the Drinking Gourd” were thought to have been sung to provide direction to slaves escaping to freedom. During the Civil Rights era, leaders and protestors walked hand in hand singing songs of promise, like “We Shall Overcome.” Though often times broken, beaten, and bloody-bodied, songs like James Brown’s “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)” provided a sense of pride for the people and kept them fighting and pushing forward for equality and dignity.

Moving into the 80’s, two decades after the civil rights movement, songs like Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” reminded us that, although advances had been made, we were still in a fight to be seen as humans and worthy of the “American Dream.” NWA’s “Fuck tha Police” expressed the growing anger at police brutality and unfair treatment by law enforcement towards black and brown communities, which persists to this day. It’s wishful thinking, and wishful thinking only, that in the 2000s songs of this subject matter would not apply. Kendrick Lamar reminded us that even though we are still hated and seen as less than simply because of the color of our skin, we as a people, in all our resilience and beauty, will be “Alright.”

Its 2020 progression has been made, and we continue to make strides, but as Childish Gambino warns, “This Is America,” and countless people of color are still being murdered at the hands of police; at the hands of racism; at the hands of pure hate. Throughout history, we have always had a song to encourage, inspire, and provide unwavering hope. We have always had a soundtrack for our resilience; therefore, as frivolous as it may sound, I ask again, right now, “Where is our song?”