“vignette” (2003) kerry james marshall

“the lovers II” (1928) rené magritte

Where is the prevailing subversive music in the Trump era? Is the scarcity merely a reflection of U.S. imperial collapse being met with the wider disgruntled masses’ inaction? 

The Trump administration has confronted a record number of protests, but the music of this moment is generally not reflective of the ire bleeding from the people. The protest melodies of the past served many historical purposes in the service of mobilizing the masses into organization and alignment, stemming the tides of oppressive dominance that wield their will over subordinated classes. The prominent chorus of marginalized voices crafting refrains to galvanize the people has nestled into the same spaces of the nostalgic lullabies of our youth; deep in our consciousness, far away but not forgotten. 

The black body in what was to be known as the United States of America has been a vessel to be tortured, mutilated, rejected, and resurrected by its own gumption. According to the tradition of United States law and social practice, one's humanity is neither innate nor reserved for every person occupying space in this country. This violence was meted out based on arbitrary and faulty but potent reasoning that even inspired citizens excluded from positions of political power to enforce these practices within their own sphere of influence effectively crafting a wholly hostile environment to exist for the black body in America. For the forms carrying the souls of enslaved black women, the introduction and subsequent subjugation under American chattel slavery was tragic notwithstanding the moments of solace they captured throughout their lives. The gendered resistance of black women under enslavement is necessary to study to fully have an understanding of the unique experience of women at the intersection of racism, sexism, and classism. Enslaved African American women are often represented in archetypes which fail to accurately exemplify their incredibly nuanced experiences in America.