What’s Going On?

I must confess: I have been listening less to David Archuleta this past week and more to Marvin Gaye.

I’ve really been struggling over what I’ve been seeing on Twitter, on TV, and other news sources, where people who look like me are under siege.

What can I say? I’m less in the mood for “The Other Side of Down” and more in the mood for:

and

And in my angrier moments, there’s always

and

There’s something to be said about life in these United States of America as a black woman or man where you can go back into the historical repertoire of black music and find one that aptly describes the mood of 2014:

Yes, music is my therapy when acknowledging these realities:

Even more so when gazing on images like this:

Sadly, the Getty photographer, Scott Olson, who took this picture, had been arrested for doing his job in covering the Ferguson protests.  Fortunately he’s been released so he can continue to offer  us some salient images.

Interestingly, it was this particular photograph by the same photographer that turned the tide for me:

There it was: the black woman putting her life on the line, raising her hands in the surrendering posture – “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” – while simultaneously looking triumphant. Undaunted and uncowed in the midst of tear gas, rubber bullets, and a city under siege. Under siege because people want answers as to why an unarmed teenager was shot six times by a police officer.

It’s quite chilling to see an entire city and state go to such lengths to protect one police officer. And yet, I can’t help but feel hopeful that people, who know their rights – even when those rights have been trampled – will stand up for their right to live, to assemble, to speak, to protest, to NOT BE SILENT.

May our children learn the valuable lessons of this moment as we move forward.

And in that regard, some David Archuleta Love might be helpful here:

Top image: Art by Tara Jacoby.