Safe to be Black
March 16, 2021 1:18 PM Subscribe
Alexandra Shungudzo Govere, better known as Shungudzo, wants a world where it's safe to be Black.
In her single To be Me, she imagines an evening where she can walk alone without making a knife with her keys, or a party where she can be drunk without fear. In the gut-punch of a music video, she dances in an alleyway as the fists of white men claw at her clothes. It's jarringly set against the soft piano melody and her angelic voice.
"It’s a good day
To fight the system
...
We’re never gonna stop
We’re gonna make it count
When when one of is tired out
The other one will hold it down"
In her single To be Me, she imagines an evening where she can walk alone without making a knife with her keys, or a party where she can be drunk without fear. In the gut-punch of a music video, she dances in an alleyway as the fists of white men claw at her clothes. It's jarringly set against the soft piano melody and her angelic voice.
"It's a middle finger in place of every smile I've granted a cop, a slap in the face of every forced kindness I've given a sidewalk stalker and a reverberating 'FUCK YOU' to everyone who has taken advantage of me in my lifetime. It's also an expression of a wholehearted yearning to live in a world in which we can all feel safe — in physical and digital spaces — being exactly who we are."In contrast, her happy pop song It's a Good Day sings of positive actions, faith in others.
"It’s a good day
To fight the system
...
We’re never gonna stop
We’re gonna make it count
When when one of is tired out
The other one will hold it down"
WHAT a voice!
posted by panhopticon at 9:34 PM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by panhopticon at 9:34 PM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by aniola at 3:15 PM on March 16, 2021 [3 favorites]