"What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow"

I watch a lot of tv...like, a lot a lot, but something I watched this morning resonated with me like nothing has before. On this Saturday morning, while procrastinating on my study plans for the day, I happened to turn on the history channel in which the special "Stories from the Road To Freedom" was playing. Just to give you some background on myself: I was born in Harlem, NY to a father originally from Harlem and a mother from Orangeburg, South Carolina. When I was 6 we moved to Westchester where I always stood out like a sore thumb. I could probably count on one hand the number of black friends I had/have growing up, not saying thats a particularly bad or good thing, that's just the way things were. Although I never really focused on race nor had many instances where me being black greatly affected my day-to day; my parents always made sure I knew where I came from and what to be thankful for. Sitting watching this special this morning, at 25 years old, I think it just hit me; the enormous amount of life I have to be thankful for, and the gratitude for the many who made it happen.

Back in the day, blacks had it rough. This is no new fact or notion- we've all, no matter our race, been taught that since elementary school. But seeing the evolution in the two hour special on the history of what blacks went through, go through, and came to; made it real. When I turned on the special, somewhere near the middle, it was starting in on education differences in the 1950's. They showed the "white schools" where kids were happy and running around seemingly carefree, and then cut to the black schools in the south where the kids had no shoes, were sharing old beaten up books and squeezed into a cramped classroom. The only thing I could think of when I saw that was my mother. Especially because the narrator for that section came from good ole Orangeburg, South Carolina. I always knew my mother was raised in the thick of the civil rights era and saw and lived through unimaginable times-but to actually see, on film of how it was-while sitting in my apartment, holding a B.S and MBS degree, three years away from a D.M.D degree and only a generation removed from those scenes...there just isn't any words. 

My mothers mother mother was a slave, my mothers mother was "the help" who left her 12 babies at home to go up north and care for other peoples babies, and my mother grew up in the midst of a changing world; where she fought for respect and equality, and lived to see me, her only daughter, following every dream she's ever had with little resistance and wanting for nothing. I guess the word to sum up what I'm feeling is pride. Watching the special made me sick and angry of the abuse people faced not that many years ago all in the name of prejudice and racisim; but the fact the some angry people turned into many and that many turned into a movement who chose to fight back and change the norm and create the world that I live in now. The world where I'm allowed to not acknowledge race every day, and dream without boundaries, and see so many people who look like me doing amazing and extraordinary things every day. Beyonce is on top of the world, Jay-Z had a stadium built in Brooklyn, Oprah is a household name, PRESIDENT Barack Obama. This is the world now. I, like many, grew up being able to recite Martin Luther Kings Jrs word by memory, 

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." 

...but hot damn, the only thing I could think of while watching this special was "I am living the dream". Amazing. Proud. Humbled. Exalted. Determined. Awe-struken. That is how I feel right now.

At the same time, I couldn't help but see the parallels between the civil rights movement back then and the quest for gay rights today. This quote by MLK holds undoubtedly true for me right now,

"Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality."

History has always been one of my favorite subjects in school. The only way to move forward rightfully, is to study and correct the paths of the past. All is not equal and fair in the world we live in today for many: blacks, whites, hispanics, immigrants, gays, poor...there is still so much to be done. But as our 44th President, a Harvard educated man with English and Kenyan roots, eloquently said:

"What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

Proud and Determined. I have work to do...we ALL have work to do; and right now, I feel beyond ready.

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If you are interested, the special is a dvd sold here for $20: http://shop.history.com/stories-from-the-road-to-freedom-dvd/detail.php?p=442918

A book similar to this special, which I also found incredibile is, The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.

xoxo

Oh keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn

Last night I saw Mumford and Sons prove that they are worthy of all of the hype behind them. Aside from sounding incredible live; those boys just know how to put on a show. I was kind of skeptical about how I would feel seeing Mumford at a large venue such as the Barclays center, but it truly was amazing. They created a stage that seemed so intimate and personal; I kind of forgot I was seeing them from section 211. Another plus was whoever their set designer is, is f'ing amazing. I've never before seen lights incorporated in such a way that elevated the music and the feel of the music- it was truly spectacular. I'm sure if you searched on instagram- you could find endless tags and pictures of this light show---which brings me to: 

Cherie's Concert Pet Peeves

There are unspoken rules about how to behave at concerts, and it's time to say them aloud.

• Don't be a dick- if the band says they are about to perform a special song and you need to be quiet to hear, don't yell "turn your mic on", or "brookkklyn" every quiet time. You're just letting us all know how much you suck while creating imaginations in my head about ways to punch you in the face.
• GET.OFF.YOUR.CELL.PHONE- take some pictures of the stage, record a couple of songs, take a pic of you and your friend sitting in dark seats, whatever- just don't do it the whole show! What's the point of staying on instagram to show people how awesome it is that you're at an awesome show, while you're sitting there oblivious to just how awesome it is! 
• Shut up! Talking during the opening act is something that irritates me, but I let it go because people paid to see the main artist, so there is a chance they don't care or even like the opening act. Fine. But when the main artist comes on--the person you paid $50+ to see--it's time to put a lid on it. Don't continue your conversation about taxes or how "becky said this" or how you want new shoes--listen to the music and enjoy the show.

The obnoxious crowd at the Barclays last night was kind of a downer for me, but they weren't able to ruin my happiness completely. I can, at times, be a pretentious music snob; which makes me slightly embarrassed when I tell people my favorite category of music. "Guys with Guitars". It's so 16 year old teenybopper "omg I love them because they are cute" sounding, (which they are), but I have other criteria for that category.  To be in my "guys with guitars" category, you have to make music with meaning and substance. Your lyrics have to resonate with me and evoke an emotion- be it empathy, sympathy, anger, compassion, appreciation or just plain happiness. You need to be a damn good musician, leaving me in awe of your talent and tranced by just watching you play. Based on this, Mumford and Sons are at the top of my favorite guys with guitars bands, (right below John Mayer, and no I will not apologize for that).

During the show, my friend Sara leaned over to me and said "these guys are their biggest fans" because you could see how much fun they were having playing their own music! They felt it- from the cello player to Marcus Mumford rocking the shit out of his guitars and drums. Seeing them live was even better than blasting their album in my headphones ,because I was physically able to feel the music so much more. The drums and my heart beat were synched, the bass forced my head to move with every note--their music had meaning and I was truly feeling it last night. Add to that to some of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard, like those from "Lover of the Light"

And in the middle of the night
I may watch you go
There'll be no value in the strength
Of walls that I have grown
There'll be no comfort in the shade
Of the shadows thrown
You may not trust the promises
Of the change I'll show
But I'd be yours if you'd be mine

It's just hard not to feel in that environment. I have a habit of being at concerts and getting so in the zone that I forget I'm around people, and that it's not just me and the band in the room--and let me tell you, that zone was a fucking awesome place to be last night. Mumford and Sons will also be performing at the grammys on Sunday, but if you ever get the chance to see them live- I HIGHLY recommend you jump at it. Oh- and the lyric from this post comes from "Below My Feet". Another gem.

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Links of the day:

I've been slacking at sharing my favorite stories of the day. Mostly because I've been studying during the day which puts a damper on my "search the internet for awesome news time". So today, I'll just refer back to an old theme--showing you all how awesome and talented my friend Jess is. 

Exhibit A and Exhibit B.

xoxo

Oh.My.Beyonce

2 hours later and I think I just calmed down from Queen B slaying it at the superbowl. More on that later.

FUN. I saw them in concert at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday and it was, surprisingly, one of the best shows I've ever been to.

 I would say I've averaged at least 5 concerts a year, since the age of 13. Live music for me just equates to happiness. In high school, my love of concerts had everything to do with my relationship with my friends. In typical small town fashion, we spent many nights just driving around blasting our favorite songs, while singing along and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. We have a lot of "soundtracks", my friends and I. Music and our equal love of it bonded us together and at times, even defined us. It made songs, for me, more than songs; they became instant memories. So of course, we made a lot effort finding when our favorite bands were playing and making sure we were at that concert! Almost all of my fondest memories involve jumping and singing along to every song on an album, and just being infinitely happy to be singing along with the people I love.

 One of "our" bands at the time was Maroon 5. I did/still can listen to every song on the "Songs about Jane" album and smile. I can't recall the name of the venue, but I saw them back in 03' in a medium sized/low budget, standing room only show; and the tickets were maybe $30. I remember so clearly watching Maroon 5 and being captivated by their songs, while singing along with my (soon to be) best friend, Jess. But what made this concert unlike a lot of the others we had gone to was the feeling given off by the band. You could genuinely tell how excited they were to be on stage. It was clear that playing those songs, in that venue, with people cheering for them was a big thing for them--and that energy made me even more excited that Jess and I got to be a part of that. While I've been to many concerts since then, that feeling of being a part of something big did not return until the past Saturday.

In a year, Fun. went from being a fairly unknown band, to playing sold out shows and having 6 grammy nominations. The lead singer constantly jumped up and down and looked like he was pinching himself numerous times during the show. I can't blame him though- imagine looking out at this

and seeing every single seat filled with every person jumping up and down singing a song you wrote back at you.  While some of my favorite bands, Dave Matthews, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga-- all put on amazing shows; it often feels like a "one of many" show.  But this Saturday, it was clear that all of the members in Fun. were having an "oh my fucking god" moment every five seconds; and that energy and excitement made my friend Jackie and I dance even harder and sing even louder with them.

Aside from the atmosphere of the concert, the music was incredible! Their albums are ones I can play on repeat and never get sick of it. Admittedly it is a bit poppy, but it's sad while uplifting and real. Jackie and I often email each other with a "song of the day", and almost all of Fun's songs have made the cut.  Some nights will always be one of their most amazing songs, but Stars, All Alright and All the Pretty Girls are other favorites of mine. Also, did I mention our seats weren't too shabby... 

They are performing at the Grammys on Sunday, the 10th, and I'm sure this performance will be even bigger and more meaningful for them. I hope we can still feel that through the screen!

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I still am not ready to talk about Beyonce. I just sat in awe watching her murder it at halftime, and I'm still pretty mesmerized. Even though she made some crazy faces, you could tell that she knew she was killing and how BIG of a deal this was for her. Get it, B! 

 If you, like myself, need more Beyonce to make it through this Beyonce hangover, this is one of my all time favorites: http://youtu.be/oNg9mTiFDq8. I'll throw in this, too: http://youtu.be/wTEGWxxKBVw.

Happy Beyonce day, everybody!