Using Music to Talk About Black Lives Matter
Trigger warning: Police brutality, racism
46-year-old George Floyd was killed on May 25, repeating the words, “I can’t breathe,” in a stark similarity to Eric Garner, who was also choked to death by a police officer in 2014.
If your child is on Instagram, there’s a good chance they saw footage of his death. Whether they watched it or not, there’s a good chance that right now their eyes are on the Black Lives Matter movement, and racism and police brutality in the United States.
Talking about systemic issues like racism, colonialism or gender-based violence is a daunting but integral part of helping young people grapple with the world they live in. It’s part of the job of adult mentors to stand alongside them as they grow in their understanding of our culture and their potential for positively impacting their communities.
An unfolding crisis can and should act as a catalyst for conversation, but it might be challenging to know how to open the conversation in an age-appropriate way.
With that in mind, here are five music videos that delve into police brutality, along with a bit of guidance for parents.
Hands Up by Daye Jack feat. Killer Mike
In the neighbour, women, child, that community you stay
Move with the mind of Malcolm and your heart is MLK
Meaning nonviolence surely is the right and proper way
But if a devil do you harm, then that devil die today
Hip hop artists Daye Jack and Killer Mike are both from Atlanta, Georgia—not far from where Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed earlier this month. They released the music video for “Hands Up” at the start of Black History Month in 2016.
Includes: Real footage of police brutality, footage of protests
Appropriate for: Teenagers who are interested in delving into the complexity of an anti-violence movement
Try asking: What do you think it’s like to try to respond to systemic racism with non-violence?
Karma by Brandyn Burnette
Said it will always get you back on it
So be careful what you say and what you do
Don’t tell me that I did not warn you
It’s karma back at you
This music video for indie soul artist Brandyn Burnette’s “Karma” follows two possible realities for a pair of Black boys volunteering at a local community program.
Includes: Racial profiling, real footage of police brutality
Appropriate for: Preadolescents who are able to learn about racism within police (the footage of police brutality is the last 20 seconds if you want to skip it)
Try asking: What do you think was going on in the younger boy’s mind when the police officer responded that way?
Marcy Me by JAY-Z
Shout out to all the murderers turned murals
Plural, fuck the Federal Bureau
Shout out to Nostrand Ave., Flushing Ave., Myrtle
All the County of Kings, may your ground stay fertile
This thought-provoking music video for JAY-Z’s song about his time in Marcy Projects in Brooklyn centres on NYPD helicopter pilots combing a Black neighbourhood for a young suspected criminal, but finding non-violent humanity instead.
Includes: Mild nudity
Appropriate for: Young adolescents who are able to learn about racial profiling or are interested in hip hop commentary on race
Try asking: What are the possible consequences for stereotypes about Black boys and men?
Believe by Benjamin Booker
I just want to believe in something
I don’t care if right or wrong
I just want to believe in something
I cannot make it on my own
Singer-songwriter Benjamin Booker’s “Believe” isn’t explicitly about police brutality or racism, but the image of a young boy dancing while immersed in a battlefield offers an impactful juxtaposition of beauty and violence.
Includes: Soldiers in uniform but no actual violence
Appropriate for: Young boys who know what soldiers do
Try asking: If something in the world isn’t fair, what are positive ways you can do something about it?
This Is America by Childish Gambino
This is America
Don’t catch you slippin’ now
Look at how I'm livin’ now
Police be trippin’ now
Yeah, this is America
The Grammy-winning music video for Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” sparked a massive conversation in 2018 about racism in the United States. Combine it with an article like Mashable’s All the things you might have missed in Donald Glover’s ‘This is America’ video to explore its many nuances and historical references.
Includes: Explicit gun violence, suicide
Appropriate for: Teenagers who are able to reckon with gun violence and are interested in learning about the histories of anti-Black racism in the US
Try asking: What do you know about the Jim Crow era?
ICYMI This Week
A 12-yo Black boy searingly sings about trauma (Twitter)
Why cellphone videos of black people’s deaths should be considered sacred, like lynching photographs (The Conversation)
Written by Next Gen Men Program Manager Jonathon Reed as part of Learnings & Unlearnings, a weekly newsletter reflecting on our experiences working with boys and young men. Subscribe to get Learnings & Unlearnings delivered to your email inbox.