From this Tuesday’s material and last Thursday’s material, I
think the most interesting connection I made was how both Quetzal and Home Alice
both seem to recognize and emphasize that music as well as other forms of art
can be incredibly powerful mediums to promote social improvements that support
their communities. While Quetzal is a rock band composed of Mexican American
musicians, they are also a group that takes pride in leading discussions in current
social issues like minority representation, disenfranchisement, environmentalism,
and female representation in the music industry. As stated in their liner notes
for their album Imaginaries, “For members of Quetzal, music expresses
the political and social struggle for self-determination and
self-representation, which ultimately is a struggle for dignity.” On the other
hand, Home Alive was an organization that promoted methods for women to protect
themselves in the Seattle in the community but also saw the potential in music
to spread their message. In Dawes article, “Finally, Filmmakers Tell the
Forgotten History of Seattle DIY Self-Defense Group Home Alive”, she interviews
Leah Michaels and Rozz Therrien who state that Home Alive’s mission wasn’t to
teach women how to beat people up but instead to show women that they are worth
defending, that, “You had better do what you can to keep yourself safe, and
safety means taking care of yourself and valuing yourself.” With this message
in mind, Home Alive must’ve seen the power of music in promoting this idea as
they released their 1996, 44-track compilation “Home Alive: the Art of Self Defense”.
I just thought that it was very interesting that both a Mexican rock band and a
feminist empowerment organization both saw music not just as a form of self-expression
but also as very powerful ways to inspire and empower their communities in
different ways.
For my songs this week, with everything that’s happened over
the last few days throughout the whole country, I wanted to choose songs that
would help empower us as we continue to fight against systematic injustice committed
against the African American community to remind us of what we fight for.
J. Cole – “Change”
Joey Bada$$ - “For My People”
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