What are you doing to adjust to the new reality? I don’t know about you, but I’ve turned off all news sources and have crawled into music for solace.
I put together a Spotify playlist – WonderCrone #2 – to share songs that reflect all the crashing, careening emotions I’m trying to process. Some are galloping rock anthems, others are defiant calls for action. And, unsurprisingly, there are a fair few songs that encourage the listener to stand their moral high ground.
The playlist concludes with one of the most powerful songs I know, one that I return to time and again when things get challenging. It’s Ella’s Song by the incomparable a cappella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock. I encourage you to listen to it, but for right now, take a moment to consider the lyrics it offers.
Until the killing of black men, black mothers' sons
Is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers' sons
That which touches me most
Is that I had a chance to work with people
Passing on to others that which was passed on to me
To me young people come first
They have the courage where we fail
And if I can but shed some light as they carry us through the gale
The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on
Is when the reins are in the hands of the young, who dare to run against the storm
Not needing to clutch for power
Not needing the light just to shine on me
I need to be one in the number as we stand against tyranny
Struggling myself don't mean a whole lot, I've come to realize
That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survives
I'm a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard
At times I can be quite difficult, I'll bow to no man's word
We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.
Race, youth, generations, power, community, resilience – they’re all in there. We have to choose our battles wisely. No one can do everything, but each can do something.
What are you doing to care for yourself? Join us at WonderCrone.com – either on our Facebook page or on the website. We’re building community and your voice is valued!
(Image: Marian Anderson sings at the Lincoln Memorial, April 9, 1939)
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