I want to write about the connections between music and progressive politics....which was soo prevalent less than thirty years ago and is still here today--only on a smaller scale. Real connections that promoted dialoque and effected change--connections between the Isley Brothers and Nikki Giovanni, Aretha Franklin offering to bail Angela Davis out of jail, Harry Belafonte buying life insurance policies for Martin Luther King....

In the music of Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, the Temptations, the Isley Brothers, Aretha Franklin,Mavis Staples and the Staples Singers, and all of the Black Artists that were soo very prominent in the 1960s and 1970s, their music carried a message and spoke to the progressive voices of the poets, activists, and political figures that were outspoken and so very much heard and felt at that time. The summer fests in Chicago, which featured the Isleys, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and others-- these festivals brought hordes of Black people together under one sun, under one stage and yes, it was the height of artistry and beautiful artistic expression, at the same time, it was also highly political--and sent messages of unity, self-love, self-appreciation, and spiritual,political, and soul force.

Music is always a part of any movement and helps to inspire the people. From Paul Robeson singing the Internationale over Moscow and spirituals over the US, to Mahalia Jackson and her friendship with Studs Terkel as well as lending her voice to the Civil Rights Movement, to James Brown and "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud," Aretha Franklin singing at Martin Luther King's Funeral, Nina Simone marching with Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King and castrating many a white man with her voice... "Alabama's got me so upset, Tennesee made me loose my rest, but everybody knows about Mississippi Goddamn!" This connection is crucial, is lifeblood and must continually be nurtured.

The Right has its own vehicles-- from Britanny Spears (trash) to Brooks and Dunn and stupid little Tobey Kieth person... but we who are concerned with humanity must make sure that ours doesnt continue to be eroded and silenced.... We have had connections with voices such as Public Enemy in the 90s, Rass Kass, and more recently, collaborations between Jill Scott and Sonia Sanchez, but these efforts are few and far between. We need to make sure that the music is there to inspire. The wealth of artistry and message has been deflated by attacks from the right and from the overbearing powers that be. We must eliminate that factor. Even today, I was listening to NPR as some right wing pundit reported that with the removal of the right to filibuster, the voices of dissent and of progress will naturally become compliant and silence their efforts towards letting their voices be heard. NEVER!!! As god as my witness as long as Aretha Franklin's voice is to be heard and as long as Black skin is to be seen on this continent the voice of progress will NEVER be silent!!!