My Year of Truth
BATTLE CRY - ARTIST STATEMENT
I consider myself a messenger. What I sing matters. What I say matters. Every song is a prayer, even if it’s a lament. I think of myself as a peacemaker, networker, weaver of worlds and people.
In 2016, my vision changed.
Waking up to a world that no longer looked like my known reality, I could be silent no longer. My message had to become more clear, direct, and succinct. The divisiveness of my beloved country in both government and racial issues tear at my heart. Who is the “we” in all this? Any action had to start with what I can do and feel I do best: making a difference from my own platform.
My grandmother, a suffragette, was pregnant with my mother while working on women’s right to vote in Philadelphia in the 1920s. The 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote in 1870 but we all know voting was and continues to be suppressed. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was to ensure state and local governments could not deny Americans the right to vote based on race, but we have seen voter suppression continue even in recent elections. I began singing some of the songs on my album BATTLE CRY releasing today, and talking about voting just to encourage people to rise up out of complacency, when the severity of this situation truly hit me.
The rise in racial friction and greater overt nature of prejudice, malcontent, and the vast need for healing these wounds and closing the divide became paramount in creating the kind of world and nation in which I care to live. I grew up in a house divided on the race issue with a mother from New York and a father from North Carolina, the attitudes of their regions prevailed. Though generally not discussed, their sentiments were felt. I knew my stance clearly and remember bouncing down the aisle of the school bus in Central Florida in 1967 with integration, excited to introduce myself to the “new kids”.
As a jazz musician, I am on the bandstand and with audiences of all color, creed, and age. We gather to make music and share our vision, stories, and humanity. We rely on each other fiercely. Community is everything. The tie between Democracy and Jazz is as old as time. We know Jazz is America’s only true original art form, and it should be so celebrated! I have rededicated my work to use my own voice and presence to commit to speaking and singing about these issues and to help heal wounds and create unity wherever and whenever possible.