"I empathize / The letter’s arrived and it just isn’t what you’d expect. / They don’t recognize your merits / You surmise it’s not fair, it’s a national theft. / You’re bereft. You’re bereft. / You don’t get it"
"Affirmative Acts" by Eartheareal, Music producer, singer-songwriter, producer and guitarist Annah Omune Sidigu, is a moving musical, educational, thought provoking piece of sonic clay, maybe more so than a song. It surely not a traditional song, it is that sonic clay that needs to be kneaded, dug into with your brain, heart, soul and worn hands. This is not to say that, Annah's nimble electric guitar work is not mesmerizing, it is and that is not to say that Annah's passionate voice does not seep into your heart and gently punch you in the gut, it does.
The more I learn about Vivek Ramaswamy I hate him. I hate who he is and how he perpetuates his belief system while twisting logic. His understanding of the constitution is mind numbingly incorrect based on standing arguments and precedent going back to 1889. His opinions on affirmative action is not based on the complexities of 'equal opportunities' standard and historical context but instead is just a dog whistle he blows, "calling all racists" to build his political base. I hate the man, I hate that he accepted affirmative action based grants but now wants to do with them. I digress.
Annah Omune Sidigu aka Eartheareal constructs this song just not on music, sung melodies but adds in a searing intro, statements by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and an outro by Solicitor General of the United States Elizabeth Prelogar. It is played out like the important lesson it is.
Annah Omune Sidigu aka Eartheareal constructs this song just not on music, sung melodies but adds in a searing intro, statements by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and an outro by Solicitor General of the United States Elizabeth Prelogar. It is played out like the important lesson it is.
I want to share some liner notes (bracketed)
[Inspired by those who claimed, eventually triumphantly, that affirmative action was “reverse racism,” “Affirmative Acts” poses the question of how any of us can know whether we are truly deserving of success when systemic racial inequities persist, rendering meritocracy a myth. Though rooted in post-rock and math rock, Eartheareal incorporated soul, R&B, classical, and more popular rock influences to create a fusion sound that is somewhat familiar yet new and mellifluous in its pluralism.]
As well as the stated intro and outro:
INTRO:
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan:
You know we have this long and horrible history of racial discrimination. And surely that functions here to prevent racial classifications or to prevent race consciousness of the kind Harvard and UNC are using. And I just thought I would give you an opportunity to discuss what you think of that argument.
OUTRO:
Solicitor General of the United States Elizabeth Prelogar:
I think that argument is wrong in just about every respect. There is a world of difference between the situation this court confronted in Brown—the Separate but Equal Doctrine that was designed to exclude African Americans based on notions of racial inferiority and subjugate them, which, as this court recognized, with schoolchildren, affected their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone. A world of difference between that and the university policies at issue in this case, which are not intended to exclude anyone on the basis of race or even to benefit particular racial groups on the basis of race, but rather are designed to bring individuals of all races together so that they can all learn together and benefit from that diverse educational environment. And I think it is profoundly ahistorical to say, as petitioners do, that those situations are precisely equivalent and it also trivializes the grievous moral and legal wrongs of state-sponsored segregation and the enormous harms that millions of Americans suffered under it.
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan:
You know we have this long and horrible history of racial discrimination. And surely that functions here to prevent racial classifications or to prevent race consciousness of the kind Harvard and UNC are using. And I just thought I would give you an opportunity to discuss what you think of that argument.
OUTRO:
Solicitor General of the United States Elizabeth Prelogar:
I think that argument is wrong in just about every respect. There is a world of difference between the situation this court confronted in Brown—the Separate but Equal Doctrine that was designed to exclude African Americans based on notions of racial inferiority and subjugate them, which, as this court recognized, with schoolchildren, affected their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone. A world of difference between that and the university policies at issue in this case, which are not intended to exclude anyone on the basis of race or even to benefit particular racial groups on the basis of race, but rather are designed to bring individuals of all races together so that they can all learn together and benefit from that diverse educational environment. And I think it is profoundly ahistorical to say, as petitioners do, that those situations are precisely equivalent and it also trivializes the grievous moral and legal wrongs of state-sponsored segregation and the enormous harms that millions of Americans suffered under it.
Please dip into "Affirmative Acts" and go back to this moving well often.
Vote with your heart and your BRAIN.
Ivory towers are built on stolen property
where First Peoples once slept.
And ivory dreams are built on mangled graves of slaves
who still can’t finally rest.
If this life is a test,
you don’t get it.
You. You. You. You. You. You.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/64vCTYKMyocYEbcQFnKVrC
https://www.instagram.com/eartheareal/
Music producer, songwriter, and guitarist Annah Omune Sidigu has been writing music for decades, with a more recent focus on music for picture. In 2022, she completed Intersection for the Arts’ The Accelerator program. She also received seed funding from Zoo Labs and the Center for Cultural Innovation for Eartheareal, a project that aims to habituate kindness toward one another and our planet through “revelatory” art built around the post-rock music genre.
Previously, Annah led the Portland, Oregon indie rock band, Annah Sidigu & Ishango, and was half of the Kenyon College folk/Americana duo Ze Mayfly.
No comments:
Post a Comment