At one point, Solange brought Master P into my living room to share his story of leaving the projects to build an empire that people told him was impossible. She and her mother road the elevator with me, Tina speaking passionately about the importance of being proud of my Blackness – of everyone’s Blackness.
With A Seat at the Table, Solange planted herself at my side and crooned in my ear, speaking her truth, my truth, our truth. In F.U.B.U. specifically, Solange placed me somewhere between Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Alright’ and Andra Day’s ‘Rise Up.’ I was equally empowered by all three, but Solange shed some of Kendrick’s aggression and avoided the swells of hope that Andra evoked.
The result was a song that didn’t ask me to do anything but walk in my truth and let her music shut out the rest of the world. It's a song for when I’m tired of the violence, when I’m sad about the loss, when I’m angry about the inequality. I don’t have to protest or sing kumbaya; I just have to be. I can just listen to the thing that was made for us by one of us to empower us.
Made this song to make it all y’all’s turn
This is why Solange’s work is so important: it pushes against boundaries hard enough to make room for people who look like her to feel that they can prosper in their own skin. I think this is what we should all aspire to: find ways to create space and opportunities for people who otherwise might not have those things. Most of us cannot do so on a platform as large as Solange’s, but in our communities and professional fields, we can do this. When we get a seat at the table, we can certainly pull up a chair to make room for one more.