Playlist of Inequality
“all lives can’t matter until black ones do”. This phrase is constantly repeated, and it seems like it needs to be now more than ever. Black men aged 15 to 34 are between nine and sixteen times more likely to be killed by police than other races. There is nothing that can deter from the fact that this is unethical in so many ways. Out of all the times a black person was killed by a police officer between 2005 and now, 98 officers have been arrested and only 35 of these 98 have been convicted. That sentence alone should show the problem in this country. But unfortunately for a lot of people, it doesn’t.
In Money, Mississippi, 1955, Emmett Till was lynched after allegedly “offending” a white woman. They came in, and snatched Emmett from the comfort of his uncle’s home, forced him in the car, beat him nearly to death, gouged out his eye, then proceeded to shoot him in the head and throw his lifeless body, tied to a cotton-gin fan with barbed wire into the Tallahatchie river. The all-white jury found the two men not guilty and a year later, they did an interview admitting to the murder. Emmett Till never got justice. 65 years later and the adequate justice still has not been served. Songs like They don’t care about us, Freedom, Changes, and Why can’t we be friends show the struggles of being black in this country when it comes to fellow citizens and others like Alright, Prayer in c, and blue lights talk about police brutality and other social constructs that divide us. There are nearly 3,500 more people like Emmett Till and many more that aren’t even accounted for or reported. All because of the color of their skin and the corrupted justice system. In “protest” by Imani Cezanne, it is brought to the forefront just how it feels to have to worry about the well-being of your black sons, brothers, fathers, and other family members. Not knowing whether they’ve been taken by the senseless act of racism and discrimination. Not knowing if they aren’t answering the phone because they are busy or because they’ve been taken from us and we’ll never see them again. It is a struggle that we continue to face in society to the point where it’s so real that most people choose to ignore it. We are now at a point where no one is oblivious, and it is no longer considered oblivion but instead ignorance. There is no excuse for anything that happens to people of color every day in this country and people should be held accountable for the crimes they commit, no matter the color, age, or financial background.
In 1969, the police raided a bar in New York city called stonewall inn. This place was considered a safe haven for gays all over but at the time any homosexual acts in every state, but Illinois was prohibited. It wasn’t uncommon for police to raid gay bars but particularly on this night, they stood up for themselves. On June 24, 1969, the police arrested the stonewall employees and confiscated all alcohol. After this raid, the police prepared to raid again the following Friday with hopes that the bar would shut down for good. When it was made public how horribly the police treated the employees and occupants of stonewall. People like Marsha P. Johnson, Stormé DeLarverie, and Sylvia Rivera who are pioneers of the civil rights for the LGBTQIA+ community. The riots lasted from June 28,1969 to July 3, 1969. Marsha P. Johnson was amongst the group of rioters, but she was not just a transgender black woman, she was also a leader and wasn’t afraid of anything and would never back down from any fight. She was known to have thrown the first brick that helped ignite the riots. Stormé DeLarverie was a lesbian woman who was born in New Orleans, LA and moved to New York sometime after she turned 18. She was a known singer but referred to herself as an entertainer. She was also known for walking around the lower Seventh and Eighth avenues and everywhere in between with her legal firearm, checking in at gay bars and making sure homophobes or what she called “uglies” weren’t messing with her “baby girls”. She was said to have thrown the first punch at stone wall. Sylvia Rivera dedicated her life to advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community and even though she was given credit for throwing the first Molotov cocktail at the stone wall riot she addressed it on many occasions saying “I have been given the credit for throwing the first Molotov cocktail by many historians, but I always like to correct it, I threw the second one. I did not throw the first one!” Many other people like these ladies have stood up for their rights and unfortunately a lot of it goes unheard. In America, not that long ago it was illegal to get married to the same sex. Even now some people are shunned by their families and society for simply being who they are and loving who they choose. I chose songs like same love, My My My!, and Girl that show that it’s normal to be who you are and to love who you love. That it’s nothing wrong with embracing your feelings and all the songs I chose are meant to merely to normalize gender equality.
This country was built on the act of racism and discrimination starting from when the first puritans set foot on this land and decided to take over from the Native Americans. Generation by generation we are taught certain social constructs and are expected to follow them. In most religions, it is taught that homosexuality is a sin and that even thinking these “unpure thoughts” will make you face eternal damnation. There are several white supremacy groups that prey on black people and get away with it. Even the people who are paid to protect us have become the very ones that we fear. We are amid a pandemic but what people don’t realize is that racism is a pandemic in itself and that it has been around for more than 400 years in this country. The only difference is that it once was no longer socially acceptable, but it is becoming more and more prominent thanks to the 45th president. People all over the world face these issues including me and majority of the people I know. The songs I picked are all songs that I know and enjoy, and I hope through music and reaching out to each other, we can better this country for generations to come.
Gender equality and other social constructs
“all lives can’t matter until black ones do”. This phrase is constantly repeated, and it seems like it needs to be now more than ever. Black men aged 15 to 34 are between nine and sixteen times more likely to be killed by police than other races. There is nothing that can deter from the fact that this is unethical in so many ways. Out of all the times a black person was killed by a police officer between 2005 and now, 98 officers have been arrested and only 35 of these 98 have been convicted. That sentence alone should show the problem in this country. But unfortunately for a lot of people, it doesn’t.
In Money, Mississippi, 1955, Emmett Till was lynched after allegedly “offending” a white woman. They came in, and snatched Emmett from the comfort of his uncle’s home, forced him in the car, beat him nearly to death, gouged out his eye, then proceeded to shoot him in the head and throw his lifeless body, tied to a cotton-gin fan with barbed wire into the Tallahatchie river. The all-white jury found the two men not guilty and a year later, they did an interview admitting to the murder. Emmett Till never got justice. 65 years later and the adequate justice still has not been served. Songs like They don’t care about us, Freedom, Changes, and Why can’t we be friends show the struggles of being black in this country when it comes to fellow citizens and others like Alright, Prayer in c, and blue lights talk about police brutality and other social constructs that divide us. There are nearly 3,500 more people like Emmett Till and many more that aren’t even accounted for or reported. All because of the color of their skin and the corrupted justice system. In “protest” by Imani Cezanne, it is brought to the forefront just how it feels to have to worry about the well-being of your black sons, brothers, fathers, and other family members. Not knowing whether they’ve been taken by the senseless act of racism and discrimination. Not knowing if they aren’t answering the phone because they are busy or because they’ve been taken from us and we’ll never see them again. It is a struggle that we continue to face in society to the point where it’s so real that most people choose to ignore it. We are now at a point where no one is oblivious, and it is no longer considered oblivion but instead ignorance. There is no excuse for anything that happens to people of color every day in this country and people should be held accountable for the crimes they commit, no matter the color, age, or financial background.
In 1969, the police raided a bar in New York city called stonewall inn. This place was considered a safe haven for gays all over but at the time any homosexual acts in every state, but Illinois was prohibited. It wasn’t uncommon for police to raid gay bars but particularly on this night, they stood up for themselves. On June 24, 1969, the police arrested the stonewall employees and confiscated all alcohol. After this raid, the police prepared to raid again the following Friday with hopes that the bar would shut down for good. When it was made public how horribly the police treated the employees and occupants of stonewall. People like Marsha P. Johnson, Stormé DeLarverie, and Sylvia Rivera who are pioneers of the civil rights for the LGBTQIA+ community. The riots lasted from June 28,1969 to July 3, 1969. Marsha P. Johnson was amongst the group of rioters, but she was not just a transgender black woman, she was also a leader and wasn’t afraid of anything and would never back down from any fight. She was known to have thrown the first brick that helped ignite the riots. Stormé DeLarverie was a lesbian woman who was born in New Orleans, LA and moved to New York sometime after she turned 18. She was a known singer but referred to herself as an entertainer. She was also known for walking around the lower Seventh and Eighth avenues and everywhere in between with her legal firearm, checking in at gay bars and making sure homophobes or what she called “uglies” weren’t messing with her “baby girls”. She was said to have thrown the first punch at stone wall. Sylvia Rivera dedicated her life to advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community and even though she was given credit for throwing the first Molotov cocktail at the stone wall riot she addressed it on many occasions saying “I have been given the credit for throwing the first Molotov cocktail by many historians, but I always like to correct it, I threw the second one. I did not throw the first one!” Many other people like these ladies have stood up for their rights and unfortunately a lot of it goes unheard. In America, not that long ago it was illegal to get married to the same sex. Even now some people are shunned by their families and society for simply being who they are and loving who they choose. I chose songs like same love, My My My!, and Girl that show that it’s normal to be who you are and to love who you love. That it’s nothing wrong with embracing your feelings and all the songs I chose are meant to merely to normalize gender equality.
This country was built on the act of racism and discrimination starting from when the first puritans set foot on this land and decided to take over from the Native Americans. Generation by generation we are taught certain social constructs and are expected to follow them. In most religions, it is taught that homosexuality is a sin and that even thinking these “unpure thoughts” will make you face eternal damnation. There are several white supremacy groups that prey on black people and get away with it. Even the people who are paid to protect us have become the very ones that we fear. We are amid a pandemic but what people don’t realize is that racism is a pandemic in itself and that it has been around for more than 400 years in this country. The only difference is that it once was no longer socially acceptable, but it is becoming more and more prominent thanks to the 45th president. People all over the world face these issues including me and majority of the people I know. The songs I picked are all songs that I know and enjoy, and I hope through music and reaching out to each other, we can better this country for generations to come.
Gender equality and other social constructs
- Girl -The internet
- Same Love -mackle more
- My My My! -Troye Sivan
- Prayer in C -Lily and the Prick