Author: goodmusicgoodpeopleshow
Politics of Respectability and Ferguson Protests
The problem with media coverage of the protests in Ferguson and the way the mainstream media has followed this and other injustice issues can be traced back to the media’s adherence to the politics of respectability. The politics of respectability is a line of thinking that posits if black people [or insert other group] would just conform to notions of respectability–be peaceful, pull pants up, not wear hoodies–[insert other behavioral modification]–then tragedy would not happen. This tactic is as offensive as it is ridiculous.
The police have tried to use this tactic to justify the murder of Mike Brown by releasing the unrelated video at the convenience store. The media has used this tactic to sensationalize the protests and justify the actions of a police force that thinks that tear gas, tanks, and automatic weapons are proper crowd control tools. Clear thinking people need to stop falling for this. Iyanla Vanzant and President Obama, both people I respect, I’m looking at you.
I find it highly ironic that the police thought the best way to respond to protests about the police’s gunning an unarmed teen down is to point guns and have snipers target unarmed protesters. Way to show that the police in Ferguson don’t have a problem with its use of force.
Anyway, Jay Smooth provides a perfect explanation of the politics of respectability in this this video from his “Ill Doctrine” Vlog, which was his response to another example when the media played this “respectability” card during the Trayvon Martin case.
We will never be good enough if the bar for right treatment is not simply a given. If you have to prove your humanity in order to deserve freedom, justice and equality than the society we live in does not really believe in freedom, justice and equality.
Love LOVE
Shameeka Dream joins the Monument Quilt…… An Ineffable Journey
The Monument Quilt Tour – Stop 1.. Arden, NC
Shameeka Dream holding space and performing at Roots Fest in Arden, NC.
I joined Force as their Resident Healing Artist for the Monument Tour this summer. To be clear, I started to be involved in this movement at the first workshop, held at the Spiritual Empowerment Center in Baltimore, where I worship. The Monument Quilt is an artist collective of stories of survivors of rape and abuse. As I travel with Founders and Warrior Princesses Hannah Brancato and Rebecca Nagle, I serve to create a safe healing space at each site where the quilt is displayed, and on the journey itself. If someone needs extra support, be it Reiki, hugs, an ear, or extra words of support and encouragement, I work to provide that to the best of Spirit’s ability. The additional gift is that I get to meet and engage with new artists at every stop! Which leads me to our first stop – Roots Fest, held in Arden, NC.
Roots Fest
Roots Fest is a week-long gathering of community artists and activists held annually in Arden, NC, hosted by Alternate Roots, an organization that “supports the creation and presentation of original art that is rooted in community, place, tradition or spirit. [They] are a group of artists and cultural organizers based in the South creating a better world together.” The quilt was displayed on the community day. Well, on this first stop, we held the rain until the performance that brought folk to the quilt. As a group of women in all white sang “No More Auction Blocks” I prepared myself. They held the space as I performed No Means No and brought the rain as I went through Rise Up. They held it with their eyes. And their spirits. Sonia, and the women who walk with her bring the ancestors to US. They bring the memories, the lessons, the rope, the chains that we are breaking through collaboration. They sing, chant, walk, move, stand in silence, demonstrate solidarity, and gave me some of the healing and balance that I needed.
As the rain began to pour down I felt the vibration move to one of true undivided individualism; everyone worked together to bring all of the quilts and display materials to dry space in under 2 minutes. Afterwards, Spirit came to me in the form of an angel singing the refrain with me- “We are all spirits, this is a body.” I ran and danced in the rain, allowing myself to be baptized by the aftermath of art in action as healer.
THIS IS NOT WHERE IT ENDED! I FOUND MUSIC!
Colored Girls Hustle
Jessica Valoris, our contact at Roots Fest, also happens to be one of the members of Colored Girls Hustle, along with Taja Lindley (more like Taj Mahal). What! Colored Girls Hustle?! Yes. In fact, they do more than that. According to their website, and what I experienced first hand:
- Colored Girls Hustle creates and sells handmade adornment that affirms our bodies and encourages us to be our boldest selves.
- Colored Girls Hustle invigorates and nurtures creative practice and self-expression.
- Colored Girls Hustle amplifies women of color artists, entrepreneurs, healers and activists who hustle hard for our communities.
They released the Colored Girls Hustle Hard Mixtape on June 19, 2014, and let me tell you, this FREE DOWNLOAD is worth it! The Colored Girls Hustle Hard Mixtape is using powerful beats and powerful words to catalyze audacious self-expression and authentic living.” Some of my favorite tracks are the “Colored Girls Hustle Hard Anthem” and “Ooh oh #PirateBooty” (Twerk!). These two sisters are hip hop afrofuturistic godesses with the truth in hand. Make sure you listen to the mixtape, download it, and share! By the way, if you like the Colored Girls Hustle Hard Mixtape, you will also love The Reintroduction of Mumu Fresh Mixtape! When Jessica asked if I had heard of Maimounna Youssef, I was like”Oh my God, we played the mixtape almost the whole way down here!” Talk about like minds! On a side note- Hannah and Rebecca love Student Loans and Crunch n Grub. The essence of collaboration, community, and forward progress are throughout all of these artists’ work.
Rising Appalachia
Their website says:
Music has become our script for vision, not for aural pleasure, not just for hobby, but now to connect and create in ways that we aren’t taught by mainstream culture. We are building a community and tackling social injustice through melody, making the stage reach out with octopus arms to gather a great family.
Talk about the truth. You know when you see spirits walking in physical bodies, and you know they are spirits just walking. Rising Appalachia is spirit walking on earth. This band, led by sister duo Chloe and Leah, blessed the Good Music Good People Show with Filthy Dirty South, their fifth cd. From the first crystal note on the cd, I knew that the Monument Mobile would be filled with musical blessings. This live recording is replete with native harmonies, highs and lows, subtle warnings- “if you muddy my water I will come after you”. Since we love music that goes beyond genre, I was pleased to hear traditional Appalachia, gospel, blues, spoken word, east African music, and more all on one cd!
Overall, the first stop was chill, dramatic, invigorating, surprising, and healing. I think that’s GOOD GOOD!
Back onto the road we go, but first, sleep in a treehouse!
To find/connect with any of the above mentioned artists/movements, see below:
- Force: the Monument Tour
- Spiritual Empowerment Center
- Alternate Roots
- Colored GIrls Hustle
- Rising Appalachia
- Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh
Ineffable Dream
I may be biased but Dream put it down tonight. The show was amazing and all that you expect from the Dream manifester herself. Ellen Gee and E Wonder hosted the event and even did the thing by creating the background vocals for Dream’s version of Power. Black Shesus made an appearance in all of her glory and helped to keep the masses cool with fans. This was very necessary as the event was hot in more ways than one. Ama Chandra blessed the crowd with her vocals that are always so DAYUUUUM awesome. And of course the producer with the most-est who is behind the production of Dream’s soon come album represented, MoReece of Stinkiface Music. Anyway pics and videos below. And as promised a Kanye and King Crimson mash-up I found on youtube. Dream’s version below. One last thing visit http://www.shameekadream.com Go Fund Her to travel the world.
I’m out. (More pics tomorrow).
–One Love
Black Shesus and Her Disciples
This is an exciting time in the artistic community. We had the pleasure of interviewing and spending the day, and in the case of Dream, a few days with the incredibly talented emcee, performance artist, and thoughtful visionary, BFLY.
The emcee and first lady has been expanding her artistic expression and has started a movement with what I’m calling the Black Shesus Experience. We were going to originally post this interview prior to her showing at the Force Field Project in Philadelphia, PA. Unfortunately, some technical issues and changes to the weekend’s format delayed our posting of the video.
However, undeterred and determined to do what good performance art requires–confront, provoke and begin conversation–BFly and the Baltimore Girls, traveled to Force Field anyway, where they transformed into Black Shesus and the Disciples. The goal was to have the audience think about images of black womanhood and to really explore what each audience member knows, thinks and feels about the individual black women in their lives. BFlY through her character of Black Shesus, explores the divinity of black womanhood and the dichotomy between the holy and unholy, the good and the bad, and the all and the nothing that makes up the human experience. She takes stereotypical images of blackness, sporting a stylized, beautiful version of black face, and flips them on their head with a flick of the hand of the silent goddess that is Black Shesus. Taking this a step further than her earlier installations, she took on the crowd at the only part of Force Field that remained in effect, a dance party. Adding to the impact of the moving installation, she included a collective of amazing woman artists in their own rights, the Baltimore Girls, all donning gold flecked black faces as their Disciple selves. Show on or not the art must go on.
To understand the motivation and how BFly developed Black Shesus watch our interview with BFLY here.
For more on Black Shesus, please visit http://www.blackshesus.com
For more on BFLY, follow her on twitter @THEREALBFLY
For more on the Baltimore Girls, visit their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreGirls
Love LOVE
Good Music Good People Show 