::GET FAMILIAR:: MICHELLE THOMPSON & HENRY LEE

::GET FAMILIAR:: MICHELLE THOMPSON & HENRY LEE
Interview by: Dereck Rodriguez
Over the past few months, we have seen countless stories of black and brown lives lost at the hand of vigilantes (both police officers and civilians.) From Travyon Martin to Freddie Gray, the nation watches and communities of color and those in solidarity fight over pockets of ignorance and insensitivity, to voice their concerns about their treatment by government officials and civilians. Helping to make those voices standout from the heartless and obtuse chatter are musicians who understand the cause and calls for justice.

Singer/songwriter/musician Michelle Thompson and composer Henry Lee have teamed up to create a piece called, "Black Lives Matter," that perfectly reflects the recent events and the overall cry for justice. Recently, TheSoulcialista's Dereck Rodriguez had an opportunity to speak with Michelle and Henry about their song, their roles as artists in social matters and the role we can ALL play to impact the #BlackLivesMatter discussion.

Dereck: Hey guys I just want to say I love the song and ask what compelled you to write this piece?

Michelle Thompson:  We have been a duo for two years now. I graduated from Seminary in 2014 and I’ve been involved in activism, and songwriting for some time. A former professor of mine Dr. Yolanda Pierce asked if I would share a song at a service that she was hosting, along with classmates of mine, called “7 Last Words: Strange Fruit Speaks in Trenton, NJ.” Basically the service was an adaptation of a 7 Last Words Service that typically happens in the Black Church on Good Friday (the 7 last words of Christ), but my colleague Nyle Fort, came up with the idea to have 7 preachers share the 7 last words of black men, women and children who have been killed by the police or vigilantes. So they focused on the 7 last words of people like Renisha McBride, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and others. Usually when I go to events and share, I like to share an original piece. I feel like my singing/songwriting is my contribution. Through writing songs, I find a way to reflect what is going on in society…and try to give voice to it. 

I came up with the lyrics while I was driving. I parked and pulled out my guitar and started strumming. It was a kind of haunting experience, but in that kind of revering way. The melody was very clear, although the lyrics really came out as gibberish at first. What stuck was “for her life mattered, black lives mattered.” I later spent some more time with it, and I was able to finish the verse. I showed it to Henry, and he started to add piano to it. We both were really emotional the first time we ran through the song. It resonated so deeply for us. It’s of course a deeply personal song; I don’t think I’ve written anything as meaningful to me as “Black Lives Matter.”

Dereck: Wow, Henry do you have anything to say?

Henry Lee: After hearing the first half of the song Michelle wrote, I started playing these four chords which she thought were very pretty.  She decided to use the chords for the refrain. I thought it was very nice for me to be involved in this. Unlike Michelle, I was not always involved in social justice. I’m aware of things but I’ve never been an activist. Through the song I was able to get more plugged in to what’s going on from a music and arts perspective.

"...it’s important to say black lives matter because our society shows us that our lives don’t matter."

Dereck: So I wanted to ask why is it necessary to state black lives matter.  Why do you believe black lives don’t matter?  Is it just a symptom of American culture or does this serve a function within America to keep us in a subordinate position in society. When people are saying that all lives matter now. 

Michelle: When folks say “all lives matter,”  I honestly try to hear them out, to hear what’s beyond the surface of what they’re articulating, although the first time I heard someone say, “all lives matter,” it was initially off-putting to say the least. I try to listen for why people are so threatened by us declaring that “Black Lives Matter,”  and why they feel the need to so quickly rebut. Saying “Black Lives Matter,” and truly living out the sentiment triggers something in many people. 

What we’re experiencing today is a systemic issue. This is not anything new.  And it’s important to say “Black Lives Matter” because our society shows us that our lives don’t matter and that the lives of countless minorities, poor people, LGBTQ folk, all who have been oppressed in our society, don’t count for much. It’s obvious some people's lives are disposable, some people's lives are not worthy of humanizing press and media, when they are getting shot down in the street.  I believe it's systemic, it has to do with white supremacy that is deeply embedded in our culture. We’ve progressed in some ways, but the regression is so staunchly evident.

"People need to come together. This is not a segregated movement and it doesn’t have to be a segregated movement."

Dereck:  How do you feel art and music is necessary and essential to create a consciousness to change our world?

Henry: Wow these are some big topics you guys are talking about. I don’t know if I should say something because I don’t want to go in the wrong direction but I’ll tell how I feel from my perspective. Well obviously, I’m not black. You can tell that right from the video.  Oh there’s this Asian guy right there and I think that’s important, that’s interesting because in the US a lot of times we think of this black and white thing. It’s always a binary of black and white or black brown and white, but what about us Asian people, meaning people like me what do we feel

about it and what are we doing about it. Ok. I might be generalizing I don’t feel the Asian voice has been very loud. There’s been an absence of an Asian-American response to these social issues and that’s where I’m coming from. Something like this affirms that yes I also care and yes we can come together and through the video you cannot just only hear the song but see the image and maybe that’s what people are gonna think. I haven’t really got any comments about why are you Asian and involved in the black lives movement but I take this as a very positive thing. I think It shows that we’re here together.  People need to come together. This is not a segregated movement and it doesn’t have to be a segregated movement. It can be a movement obviously talking about a specific issue but its very integrated in the kind of people and the kind of ways people are using to get involved. 

Michelle: When we sent out the video to our network of friends and family, we wrote a blurb on the role of the artist. I’m really a big lover of Nina Simone and Harry Belafonte and listening to my artists-elders, for wisdom. I scourer YouTube for interviews of folks like Nina Simone, Betty Carter, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, people who were thoughtful and productive artists, but also involved in the Civil Rights Movement or the Black Arts Movement, for example.

I truly believe that the artist is integral in shifting culture. Harry Belafonte for example has been an artist-activist, organizing creative types to participate in the movement, rallies and gatherings for justice. The role of the artist can be used to break through all of the divisiveness and touch a deeper place in folks. You’re really taping into a person’s spirit, their interior, tapping into their emotion, stirring up their humanity. The role of the artist

is to broaden the conversation and I believe that we are very important in this movement. There is a video of Nina Simone on YouTube and she talks about the artist’s role being to reflect the times. Being empathic, creatives reflect what we’re experiencing as a society. I think we innately do that. So while I’m not saying every artist has to be out in the streets going to rallies and protesting, I think that it’s important to speak to these larger issues through our art, both implicitly and explicitly. To contribute to the lifting of our human spirit, bringing beauty and truth to the world. 

"I think it’s important to understand our common struggle, that we’re all fighting a similar fight." 

Dereck:  So do you guys have any last words?

Michelle: I believe there is a lot of commonality that we as people share, and we need to find a way to tap into it. Solidarity is important. I think as people of color, it’s important to understand our common struggle, and that we are in many ways fighting a similar fight.

 So much can happen when we get educated and organized…when we have an ethic of love and compassion working in our midst. If our music can some how forge a way forward, bring truth and comfort, affirm the humanity of black folks and subsequently all who are oppressed…then I think we are moving towards something beautiful as artists. 

Dereck: Henry do you have any last words?

Henry: What you guys are talking about is right up my alley.  When I went to UC Berkeley, I doubled majored in political economy and music. But eventually, I became more of a believer in music than in political economy.  This might be just me, but when you guys talked about the macro and institutional changes, I thought those were going to be tough.  However, through music we can come together on a micro level, and break down discriminations, and create harmony with one another.  Maybe that is one way we can achieve this revolution, one from the bottom up instead of from the top down.

Dereck: Wow well It was wonderful talking to you both and we’re on the lookout for great music.

Follow Michelle and Henry on Facebook to get even more familiar!