The Wavelength
Monday June 1st, 2020 with Joe Reilly
He Had A Dream - So What Has Happened To It? Referencing Martin Luther King's dream for racial equality we feature songs that raise awareness of racism and systemic inequality and call for action in the face of more police brutality against Black citizens

This evening we feature music about race, racism, empowerment and action in light of the killing of George Floyd, another African American killed by police during an arrest, this time in Minneapolis, and the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, an African-Canadian woman who died during an incident with Toronto Police. The show was partly inspired by a discussion I had with my daughter, about the protests happening in the United States - in particular those that have turned violent. I said something like, "Those who turn violent during these protests hurt the movements that are working to bring about change and in some ways they provide fodder to racists who then think these actions can be ignored due to the violence." She pointed out that as a white, male I don't have a very deep understanding of the frustration, anger and fear that non-white communities feel in the face of these kinds of incidents - police killing people from different cultural groups without any justification. She also pointed out that there are systemic, far-reaching elements of our western societies that continue to oppress people from non-white communities. (As well, there is some evidence to indicate that much of the violence at these protests is being incited by white people in the protests and by police actions.) This prompted me to explore some of these themes in music and to find more information about these issues on the Internet. We start the evening with music from the 1960s and 1970s about race issues and Black empowerment in the USA in particular - and these songs remain totally poignant and applicable today. Here is a great piece about Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" - it's history and continuing relevance. https://thevinylfactory.com/features/marvin-gaye-inner-city-blues-versions/ The second set features a couple of songs by local artists - and sent me looking for information about incidents of police racism and violence in Ottawa. I found this interesting timeline of police violence towards citizens and noted that while not every person on this list is someone of colour, most certainly are. https://leveller.ca/2019/01/ottawa-police-violence/ I was specifically looking to see if I could find a song about Vincent Gardner, an Ottawa musician who was shot and killed by police in 1991. Gardner was carrying a guitar case which police mistook for a weapon. I could not find a song, but I found information about an amazing scholarship set up by Vincent Gardner's wife, Eunice Gardner and their son, Garth Gardner. They created the fund to acknowledge the support the family received from the Black community of Ottawa following the death of Vincent Gardner. This is an amazing testimony to the strength and resolve of this family, in light of their tragedy and their desire to effect positive change in their community. The Vincent Gardner Memorial Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to Black students who are registered full-time in the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section. For more information check out this link: https://scholarships.uottawa.ca/p/a/17442/ In the second half of the show, we play some music that helped to raise my own awareness of racism and the challenges different marginalized communities face in western societies and the world at large. I was exposed to the music of Mutabaruka, Linton Kwesi Johnson and eventually Public Enemy through my early days working here at CKCU - thanks to the many programmers who brought the music of these artists to the airwaves, often in thoughtful programs that provided context and analysis of this music that went much deeper than I am going tonight. Some of these songs helped me to start learning about these issues, but as my daughter pointed out I still have a lot to learn. Finally we wrap up with some calls to action. I only featured about half of the songs I wanted to play tonight, so perhaps there is another show in the future. A couple of other things. Check out this CBC interview with Ibram X Kendi for some powerful ideas about race and racism. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/outintheopen/ibram-x-kendi-says-we-are-either-being-racist-or-antiracist-there-is-no-middle-ground-1.5350278 And finally I will hand things over to my daughter, who wrote a well-thought out piece for her Facebook Page in light of the protests happening around North America. She is far more eloquent than I am, and she provides some excellent ideas about taking action and some great resources to check out. "It’s not always clear what the best way to help is especially in the midst of a pandemic when the world feels so upside down already. But silence is complicity and therefore not an option. If you are reading about protests happening across the US and Canada right now and are not sure how or whether to take action, or indeed whether it is your place to do so if you, here is an incomplete list of things you can do. 1. Read up on the issue. Not just on the police brutality and protests taking place this week, but about the historically entrenched structural racism in North America. Understanding these systems is a really important way to help us unlearn our own biases and understand our privilege. Here are resources that I have found helpful or that folks have recommended: -White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo -Here’s an interview with Dr. DiAngelo about the book: https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2019/whats-my-complicity-talking-white-fragility-with-robin-diangelo -The Skin We’re In, by Desmond Cole -Fatal Invention by Dorothy E. Roberts -How to be Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi 2. Speak up. If you are someone with privilege, use it. Call people out (or call people in) when they say racist or violent things. These are uncomfortable conversations to have but they are absolutely necessary. Do not leave it to marginalized communities to do all the emotionally heavy work (which can include putting themselves at risk) of exposing racism. Knowing the difference between calling people out and calling people in is really helpful for this: http://www.racialequityvtnea.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Interrupting-Bias_-Calling-Out-vs.-Calling-In-REVISED-Aug-2018-1.pdf 3. Listen. If someone calls you out or in for saying something racist or otherwise harmful or violent, don’t immediately get defensive. Recognize that this is an act of care. Someone likely would not take the time to talk to you about this if they didn’t think you could do better. 4. Donate. Financial resources are such an important part of community organizing and if you cannot show up in person, showing up financially (if you are able) is an excellent way to support. The Minnesota Freedom Fund is no longer accepting donations, but their website has links to other resources that are: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/ If you want to help closer to home, there’s also likely to be chapters of Black Lives Matter in your community. 5. Read books (or consume other art) created by people of colour. It will expose you to perspectives and experiences you wouldn’t otherwise get. Some books I’ve really enjoyed and found insightful recently: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward; Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor; and Son of a Trickster and Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson. The TV show Dear White People on Netflix is also great. (This graphic was created by @theconsciouskid on instagram)" Here is a link to the graphic as it would not copy into this playlist. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAq9_0uJary/?igshid=1hm288b3zx9fh Thanks for listening.