Naly Setthavongsack

Period 3/7
2/24/16
Rodgers, Washington, Yonamine
Music And Racism: Group Teaching Take-Aways
Common patterns I noticed was the lyrics if each song revolved around
institutional power and authority. This connects to the police brutality against people of
color in the world, such as policemen killing innocent men and women only to be let off
and never be prosecuted for their wrongdoings. What jumped out to me while the
student lead teachings were occurring was that these songs timeframes spanned from
as early as 1964, A Change is Gonna Come, by Sam Cooke to 2016, Formation by
Beyonce. As we preach that racism is over ever since Obama was elected for president,
we realize that the same racial issues of police brutality, mainly whites against people of
color; still continue today when police brutality should have been a conflict in the past.
We have police officers going onto the streets without the knowledge of social justice for
all, and are taught social justice for White men. They are protecting people that look like
them, not the majority.
After listening to the presentation of Fuck the Police, I craved to learn more
about Project Hammer. My thirst for knowledge and the fact the information was so
upsetting to hear; that this police raid against people of color to warn gangs (easily a
racial profiling issue) left those who survived so badly harmed that the Red Cross had to
get involved. This also was one of the most historical moments to where a plethora of
African American men were incarcerated. And not the other color, so think they have

the authority to kill a minority, is a powerful line in the song which connects to how
policemen are protecting people who arent of color in the world when their jobs are to
protect all civilians which is very hypercritical.
Tupacs Changes, spoke a lot about policemen and poverty. Cops give a damn
about negroes, a n***** pull the trigger kill em he's a hero, really hurt me to hear.
Policemen are praised for killing off African American men who are innocent, but African
American young men who live their day to day lives innocently are dismissed as
troublemakers. They are born into this stereotype that they are the troublemakers, while
policemen are seen as clean and above the law. That in the end, police cannot do
any wrong. Another lyric is War on the streets and war in the Middle East. Instead of
War on poverty they get war on drugs so the police can bother me, talks about how
instead of a war on the poverty in communities. Policemen feel that the more African
Americans they can put away, they feel a sense of contentment.
Another lyric that stood out to me is Wonder why we inhale because we in hell,
from Crooked Smile. I began connecting this with the war on drugs, and how people are
stereotyping African American men as selling narcotics. But as J Cole takes this
stereotype and makes a call to public to make a point that African Americans are living a
harder lifestyle and forced to embody this negative persona as a culture to benefit White
people to appear as pure. They are in hell, because they are constantly fighting against
the odds.
The role of music creates a larger platform for kids and adults of all ages to come
together to listen to a movement. Listening to issues in the world on news platforms are
very one sided and driven by certain political parties. So music allows a freedom of

expression for those who cannot speak in debates as easily as their White male
counterparts. Music can open up people's eyes to become allies and activists.
Although the issues of music as a platform to express issues in the world is such
as Beyonces run in with Giuliani. She was attacked as overbearing, Attacking the
people who risk their lives to protect us, but African Americans arent included in the
us, he talks about. We are attacking policemen, but when policemen are attacking us
we are counter argued with its always the race card, slavery ended years ago. We will
have a party like Giuliani who will nitpick at any platform activists try to use; belittling
their efforts to address the issues going on in the world for decades.