Stacey’s Post-Election Message and The Power of Music
Nov 7, 2024
auto_awesome
In this engaging discussion, Rhiannon Giddens, a Grammy and Pulitzer-winning musician, explores the powerful bond between music and social change. She tackles the industry's tendency to categorize genres, revealing the rich, multicultural history of the banjo. Giddens highlights the role of music as both a tool for protest and a means of storytelling. She reflects on personal experiences within the industry, and emphasizes the importance of women of color in influencing cultural narratives. Get ready to be inspired by the transformative power of art!
Stacey Abrams emphasizes the importance of active election participation as a moral obligation to safeguard voting rights and advocate for change.
The podcast highlights the power of music as a unifying force for activism, encouraging emotional expression and collective action in social movements.
Rhiannon Giddens challenges genre classifications in music, advocating for a recognition of its cross-cultural origins to foster inclusivity and understanding.
Deep dives
The Importance of Voting Rights
The episode emphasizes the significance of voting rights, noting that the host, Stacey Abrams, comes from a family that was among the first to be born with the right to vote. She reflects on the generational shifts that have occurred, specifically detailing how her nieces and nephews are experiencing the first generation since Reconstruction to lose civil rights. The conversation highlights the emotional weight of past achievements, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, while acknowledging current threats to those rights. The insistence on participation in elections is portrayed as both a moral and civic duty, essential for advocating for necessary changes in governance.
Mobilizing Against Disappointment
Abrams discusses the collective state of disappointment following recent elections, suggesting that while resistance has been successful in the past, mere persistence is inadequate this time. She calls attention to the 60 million voters who did not participate, urging listeners to understand why they felt their voices did not matter. The dialogue emphasizes the need for curiosity about others' concerns as a means to bridge divides and galvanize action. Abrams insists on the necessity of demanding accountability from leaders at all societal levels, urging a move beyond passive acceptance of the status quo.
The Role of Music in Activism
The episode introduces the theme of music as a profound tool for activism, where every song can resonate with individual experiences and collective emotions. Abrams highlights how music reflects personal stories while also serving as a unifying force during protests and movements. She cites the documentary 'Louder, the Soundtrack of Change,' which she co-produced to explore the historical significance of women in protest music, illuminating how artists have used their platforms to push for visibility and change. This discussion underscores music's capacity to transform feelings into action while encouraging artistic expression as a means to foster social awareness.
Combating Genre Restrictions in Music
The dialogue features Rhiannon Giddens, a prominent artist who challenges norms within the music industry by rejecting restrictive genre classifications. She discusses the historical context of music's evolution in America and the social implications of commercial music divisions, arguing that these artificial barriers limit collective understanding and collaboration. Giddens advocates for embracing the cross-cultural origins of music, illustrating this through the story of the banjo, which embodies shared histories across diverse communities. This perspective promotes the idea that recognizing interconnected narratives in music can foster a more inclusive understanding of culture.
The Responsibility of Artists in Society
Giddens articulates the role of artists as storytellers and activists, emphasizing that everything is inherently political. She rebuts the notion that artists should separate their work from political discourse, asserting that art serves to voice critical social issues and connect with audiences on deeper emotional levels. The episode stresses the importance of supporting local, independent musicians whose work contributes to collective narratives and social progress, while also motivating the audience to engage actively with the music that inspires them. This call to action encourages listeners to leverage their own unique contributions towards building a more equitable society through collective musical experiences.
Stacey offers a reflection and a call to action to move beyond resistance and into insistence after the re-election of Donald Trump. Then she speaks with Grammy, Pulitzer, and MacArthur Genius Grant winning musician Rhiannon Giddens about the connection between politics and art. Giddens dives into the way categorization divides the music industry, the deep and multicultural history of the banjo, and how she has put her unique stamp on every genre from opera to folk music.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
We want to hear your questions. Send us an email at assemblyrequired@crooked.com or leave us a voicemail at 213-293-9509. You and your question might be featured on the show.