Lift Every Voice and Sing (you too)
This post was written by one of our team members as a personal reflection piece.
There are ordinary miracles that we as humans experience. The way we interact with music is profoundly unique in and of itself. Only humans can meld rhythm and tone with the poetry of lyrics to create art that transcends so many of our differences. And only humans regularly take that ordinary miracle for granted.
We’ve all done it. We’ve all been driving on the highway or walking in the park and it happens. You start listening to the song, fully immersing yourself in the experience of the music. But all of a sudden you leave the moment. The song doesn’t stop, but your mind starts up and leaves no space for the miracle of music to thrive. Old memories flit through your thoughts or you start daydreaming about the future. Full stories come alive before your eyes and the music goes from the forefront to the background. Eventually you stop listening altogether, and though the song never stops playing, at some point you snap back in and realize you’ve missed most of it. And as a new one begins, the only takeaway you have from that moment are the stories created in your mind. To be that ordinary miracle, the beautiful poignant melody that sparked your thoughts but lay forgotten behind the mountains of your ego—that is what it feels like to be beautifully and boldly Black in America right now.
“It is profoundly inspiring and desperately sad to have the entire world listening to you and ignoring you at the same time.”
Build Community -
Retain and Engage Your Employees
Check out Seen@Work’s signature Circle Program.
Schedule a Consultation today.
It is profoundly inspiring and desperately sad to have the entire world listening to you and ignoring you at the same time. On the one hand, living each day in gratitude means that I recognize that the revolution that is in progress has already made increasingly positive change and will continue to do so. Sustained resistance and vocal allyship are accomplishments that I did not see years ago when the Black Lives Matter movement began. Never before have I been surrounded by so many anti-racists of all different backgrounds in my daily life. I have even taken to Tik Tok in our quarantine days and have cried at the promise for our future that I see within Gen Z. But as much noise as we’re making, I can’t help but think, “Why does it feel like no one’s listening?”
Because they aren’t. Even the ones that are aligned with our wishes are lost in their egos. Our voices carried the music to their ears, but they have chosen their daydreams over our humanity. “It must be done the right way” flashes before their eyes as they visualize what could be lost if they took the risk. Performative messages and pats on the head as they continue their status quo, repeating these patterns effortlessly because they are too lost in “reflection” to pay attention to what the song is telling them. We sing, we cry, we yell, we demand, we articulate until our voices are hoarse and our music just serves as the buoy of their hero complex.
“Even the ones that are aligned with our wishes are lost in their egos. Our voices carried the music to their ears, but they have chosen their daydreams over our humanity.”
And just like that, they’re back. With apologies and plans for the future. With promises, drafts, and rallies. With speeches and gifts, with honest conversations. The song is closing and having not listened to any of it, they smile at it. What a lovely song. I should listen to it more often. It always makes me feel so good. They are on to the next, the only takeaway being the stories they created in their mind.
Still, the music stands firm. Music is not only relegated to the ears that ignore. Music may find those who enjoy it in the background of their minds, but the song truly thrives in the hands of those who listen to the lyrics and share it. When you choose to only listen to the music, you risk diluting the message with your own ego. You risk getting so caught up in your own thoughts and priorities, that you miss the true message of the song. Stop listening and start participating. We need your music. Share it through difficult conversations, share it through voting, share it through your calls for justice. Share it so loudly and proudly that others can’t help but share it too.
Need to Train Your Employee Resource Group Leaders? Consider Bringing Seen@Work to Your Org.
Click the Image and Schedule a Consultation today.
