Black Intellectuals We Salute You

Black intellectuals have made positive contributions to society, and to a large extent, this is done through selfless dedication to humans and non-humans. Stephen King and Jensen J. Richard (Stephen King & Jensen J. Richard, 1995) stated: Since its inception, the Rastafarian movement has become a major cultural and political force in Jamaica. This movement challenged Jamaica’s Neo-colonialism that King & Richard believe serves to uphold white supremacy. Normally, this music kind is consumed by many recreationally. I’m sure that we all agree that very few parties end without rocking us to one or more Rastafarian songs. Shout-out to my neighbours for doing just that: http://www.house-on-fire.com/

Conscious consumerism

That said, King and Richard are inviting us to think about Reggae music differently, to factor the genre into mainstream intellectual thought, and hopefully then consume it while aware of societal events across time and place. Lyrics that are timeless and great examples of this mental shift include “One love, one heart let’s get together and feel alright [….]” by the one and only Bob Marley. I totally like the message because although we were invited to jam to feel good, we are still asked to do so in a loving way. For me, this is a kind of peace advocacy that can help us even in 2021.

There is plenty of food on the plate: please pick your conscious consumption thoughtfully