April 10, 2015
Dear Common:
This truly is a most difficult letter to write. Really it is. See, I had hoped to appeal to you under different circumstances. You are a prolific emcee and the content of your lyrics are cerebral.
You are godly. You are profound. And you have brought a respect for black women to the table that many emcees have not. Your “Glory” track gives me goosebumps when I hear it, and I have your entire “Be” offering on my treadmill playlist and so I hear it daily.
In Hip-Hop and in life, you are a hero to me.
Which is why when I saw you on Jon Stewart recently talking about race relations, I was confounded.
Yes, you’ve appeared on mainstream shows, and yes, you’ve worn eclectic clothes before. I nodded at the crochet pants, because, well, I get that Erykah Badu is persuasive enough to make many men do many things.
But, it wasn’t The Daily Show or the turtleneck you were wearing that confounded me. It was what you said.
You got on TV and told The Daily Show’s considerable audience that the key to improving race relations in America is for black people to extend a hand to white people. Umm, Okay. We all need to work together in this world.
But, you went further and analogized America’s relationship with blacks to a romantic relationship. “…White people, y’all did us wrong. I mean, we know that that existed — I don’t have to keep bringing it up. It’s like being in a relationship and continuing to bring up a person’s issues. Now, I’m saying, ‘I love you,’ move past this … Come on, baby, let’s get past this.”
Brother, the relationship between America and blacks has never been romantic. I don’t remember hearing my grandfather or great grandfather recounting tales about how he and America courted for a period of time before they were brought over from Africa.I don’t know when blacks have ever had equal footing or established a partnership with America. And as a direct descent of slaves, victims of segregation, institutionalized racism and marginalization, I can’t say that I remember when I believed that America loved my parents or ancestors. But, we have always loved it, hoping that it would change its abusive ways towards us.
But all that would be fine, if you’ll allow me to carry your analogy out, if it all were in the past, and America was ready to stop its past hurtful actions, get relationship counseling and try to live with blacks peacefully and lovingly.
But, in America, the abuse continues. Police officers are killing young black men weekly, it seems. It is warehousing them in prisons and coffins. It is marginalizing even professional blacks in the work world.
This isn’t a romantic relationship, brother. It’s a cautionary tale. And perhaps your fame and accumulation of wealth has made this a romance for you, it is no such thing for the rest of us.
Respectfully,
David Hart
