A Suite For Souled People

You really can change the world if you care enough -Marian Wright Edelman

Following the murders of Sean Bell, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Victor White, etc. etc. etc., the murder of Michael Brown by the police in Ferguson has been weighing heavily on us. Feeling more than a little helpless about the state of racial inequality, Paul created a beautiful and heartbreaking response: a three movement suite, entitled A Suite For Souled People featuring Elucid, Curly Castro and Billy Woods.

"Souled People" is both a reference to African Americans as soul brothers and sisters and as the descendants of slaves - “sold people.” Paul’s family has traced their family lineage from their arrival on some of the earliest slave ships to when they purchased their freedom in the 19th century. My family has also traced our lineage. Back to when mine were slave owners. In some respects, it’s heartening to see how far things have come in the past 150 years. But just because we don’t enslave people anymore doesn’t mean that we all have the same freedoms.

Paul and I know we want to have children one day. As each of these tragedies has repeatedly lacked the judicial response deserved, the reality of having a black child in America has begun to sink in. My children will be faced with so many difficult situations that I was never exposed to during my own childhood.

When I was still dating Paul, I heard the following claim more than a few times: this world is hard enough so why make it more difficult for myself and my children. Basically, I should choose to “stay white” and not deal with those injustices; the implication being that this is just the way the world is and there is nothing you can do to change it, so let it stay “their” problem.

If society really is as horrible as they seem to think, then thank goodness I found such a strong and caring person to help me navigate it. It seems more critical to find someone you can trust than accommodate a bunch of people you don’t. At the end of the day, the world is scary and hard for everyone.

I recently read an article from the website, Black and Married with Kids. Curious about a family website intended only for black people, I started browsing. And then I found an article that made me realize this website was for me too. Entitled How I’m Preparing My African American Son to Live in Today’s Society, it’s a mother’s guide to instilling confidence in her black son, as well as her advice on how to be safe, including a section about interacting with the police. I recommend reading it. It reminded me of Woods’ verse in the third section of the suite:

“but it's on you Boy to keep those hands in plain sight
Don't touch your belt
reach for your wallet
or happen to be holding your cell
normal speech is a yell yelling is a reach for the gun
silence an admission of guilt
Don't try to walk away
if you're running then run!
if you're smart play dumb
Don't get caught in the slums or a nice neighborhood you ain't from
if you need help Don't call 911”

The first time I heard those lyrics, I cried. Because we’ve been shown time and time again that this is a reality for young black men.

When we decide that some people are less worthy of basic human rights, whether based on race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, etc., we lose a little bit of our own humanity and we pass along that inequality to the next generation. Not to mention, fostering a corrupt police force can’t be good for anyone in the long run. We need to be able to hold people accountable, as much as we need to listen to alternative perspectives.