A PLAYLIST FOR CHANGE
Tags: Playlist, Racism, Police Brutality, Human Rights

by Yame

Created by Yame

I grew up with a PuertoRican mother and an Afro-Latino father who never explained to me how the world really works. I remember the first time that I became aware of how the world views people of color. I was about 15, I was scrolling on Instagram, and I saw a video of a man being shot while he was on the floor complying with what the officer was saying. This man was Alton Sterling. I watched this video repeatedly, trying to make it make sense. I went down a rabbit hole; names like Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner all appeared with videos attached. The worst part of it was, they all died the same year, 2014, within months of each other, and they all were innocent. The only thing they were guilty of was being in their beautiful black skin, which isn’t something to be guilty of at all. My entire life I thought police officers were supposed to protect us, not kill us. I cried for days. I was and still am angry, furious, enraged, but also depressed. Most of all I felt hopeless, especially after searching for protests in my area and there weren’t any. How is the entire world not enraged about this? Why is this still happening? Why are people moving on like nothing has happened? Why didn’t Alton Sterling and all other victims of police brutality have support all over the United States? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s not that these people don’t know what is happening; some people just don’t care. I started to view the world in a completely different light. Now let’s fast forward to this year 2020, four years later. We’re going through a global pandemic, yet minorities are still being mistreated with all that’s going on. George Floyd was a black man paying for his groceries, his skin made people believe the 20 he was paying with was a counterfeit bill. He was aggressively taken out of the store and pushed to the ground with four officers on his back, ignoring him when he said he couldn’t breathe.. He died like so many others have in the hands of officers meant to protect and serve. Black people are still being murdered by officers, with The President of the United States publicly name calling those standing up for their rights by protesting that their black lives do indeed matter. No matter how many protests were going on around the United States, justice still wasn’t served, even though there was clear evidence to name these four officers guilty. Although music won’t solve the issues the government seems to ignore, through my anger I’ve made a playlist as a coping mechanism to help express my feelings. Here’s a breakdown of some of the songs, that can be heard here:

“Do You Hear the People Sing Playlist” by Yame

“Dear Mr. President” by Kiana Lede

This song is a remake of Pink’s 2006 release of her version of “Dear Mr.President.” Kiana Ledé’s version is essentially a letter to Donald Trump. During the protests, instead of being compassionate, he threw gas in the fire. Ledé said herself in the description of her music video, “I hope this song drives people to VOTE because Trump is a symbol of racism and we are facing the impending doom of his re-election.” The video in itself was uploaded on YouTube as a fundraiser for the BLM movement. Ledé proceeds by saying “All of mine and Republic Records’ proceeds from the song are being donated to the NAACP Empowerment Programs which fight against issues like police brutality.” This song is one I listen to the most. It’s not only for the president; it’s for anyone who has the same mindset he does. The song holds the questions I find myself asking repeatedly when I’m the most frustrated. This video is definitely something everyone should watch.

“Otherside of America” by Meek Mill

This song, like the title suggests, gives a view of a different side of life in America through the eyes of Meek Mill. The intro of the song has Donald Trump trying to explain to black people why they should vote for him; but in all honesty, he’s basically talking down to black people. To me, the song is a sort of response to this, explaining why certain things in the black communities are necessities to survive.

“Blue Lights” by Jorja Smith

The song title “Blue Lights’’ is a reference to the blue lights on a police car. The song is from the point of view of a young person who is innocent, having a normal Monday until his friend calls panicked and in fear. Eventually the two kids meet up, and the main character is handed what is described as a “tool” and now has “blood on [his] hands and don’t know where it’s from,” making him an accomplice to the crime, despite not doing anything. Now the main character has to run to avoid being caught for the crime he didn’t commit. This song speaks to me because I that feel as long as you know you are not guilty, nothing should be wrong. Some police officers look for any excuse to find something out of the ordinary.

“Changes” by Tupac ft. Talent

This song talks about the racism that is seen in society, particularly in the eyes of the law. Tupac talks about how for some, committing a crime is not just for the fun of doing it, but because it’s a means to survive. He talks about how the only way to change society is to start seeing each other as “brothers instead of distant strangers.” He also explains about the distribution of drugs into black communities, which turned into the “war on drugs,” but honestly was a war to incarcerate minorities. Overall there is a need for change, and it will happen if brothers and sisters keep their hope and fight for what is right. Oftentimes, minorities are seen as lazy or dangerous. Tupac highlights that, in the end, minorities are not at fault, because the government makes it hard to move up in life for those at the bottom.

“Never Gonna Break my Faith” by Aretha Franklin

This song describes exactly what the title suggests, an uplifting song that shows, no matter how bad times get, you can’t break someone’s faith, that if you turn to God there will be change. No matter what challenges are faced, the faith will not be broken. The song also honors those who have been lost to police brutality saying, “when someone takes the life of an innocent man… they never really won because… they set the soul free.” The song also speaks about praying that their souls find the light and having faith that the day will come through God’s will. This to me is hope that the taking of innocent lives won’t go unnoticed and justice will be served.

Music affects you in many ways — your brain, your mood and many more. When times get tough keep your head up. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” (Barack Obama).

Music has always been a vital part of my life. It’s been a tool I’ve used to assist me in moving mountains, no matter how impossible it feels. Although a playlist isn’t going to cause change, it could be a motivator, a voice, or even a temporary therapist. Racism and judgement has been a part of our society since the beginning of time; most people use that as an excuse to say it’ll never change. That’s why it’s important to make it a conversation and confront it head on in hope that sometime, somewhere in the future, human beings will no longer have to fight for rights or worry about being seen differently and having to be ridiculed for it. I’ve always lived by the motto, “Treat people how you would want to be treated.” Not only is Black Lives Matter important to me; any cause that has to do with protecting human rights is above all for me. Black Lives, Immigrants, LGBTQ+, Mental Health awareness, the list goes on. I wouldn’t feel right as a human being if I didn’t love everyone I was put on this earth with, for who they are.

Resources in support: