I love Stevie Wonder! He doesn't just talk about it, "he be about it"! When I read that Stevland Hardaway Morris, Mr. Wonderful, had announced that he would no longer play in Florida or any other state with "Stand Your Ground Laws", I was reminded of a different time... ground covered. I remember Roxanne Ellis and major protests at Hampton Institute. The late '60s and early '70s times of struggle and protesting to encourage, among other things, the divestiture of corporate interests in South Africa, raising our voices for the freedom of Nelson Mandela and the end to apartheid. I'm certain that to some this may seem a stretch. Certainly there are many who can not draw a parallel between what's happening in America today and South Africa of yesterday. To those I can only say that your reality is not mine; and I know that my reality is but a walk in the park for many of my sisters and brothers.
From where I stand, "Stop and Frisk" and ethnicity as probable cause to question a person's citizenship or right to be in this country are as much a violation to one's human dignity as having to carry a pass book. And the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act, which provided access to voting for thousands if not millions, has ushered in new more sophisticated mechanisms to disenfranchise the poor and seniors. The promise of desegregated schools and the perceived death of "separate but equal" have been replaced by the vile reality of de-facto segregation that resulted from the flight from inner cities and public institutions which has resulted in the loss of "good paying" jobs, ratables, the collapse of unions, the lack of resources and the ever growing pit of poverty of the communities as a result. Those of us who can/could have all run from these communities and the myriad complex issues that surround them. We run from them and we don't look back. And Sundays... and Sunday mornings remain the most segregated time across America.
But maybe worst of all is the selective application of laws like "Stand Your Ground" that render them nothing more than part of the Twenty-first century Black Codes. Read about Marissa Alexander here.
But then there comes the children...
And these children? God bless them! These courageous young men and women, these Dream Defenders who are "being about it".
"We found beauty in the dark. We found strength in our struggle, determination in our dispair. We are good kids growing up in mad cities. We started at the bottom, now we're here. We believe in freedom and we will not rest until it's won. The dream defenders welcome you to the dream era. Join Us. Bring your chisels, bring your paint brushes, bring your creativity, bring your light we've got some national redecorating to do!"So for me, I'm all for redecorating. At least sprucing up a bit. But I still think Sun City is one of the greatest protest songs of our times. It was great to see Marvin Gaye and a younger Springsteen and Ringo Starr. That doesn't mean I'm not open to another to bind our hearts in struggle. I'm sure this younger generation can come up with something, and I'm willing to follow. But like I said before. I sure love me some Stevie Wonder!
