An Open Letter from Singer Sinead O’Connor About Trayvon Martin, Racism Pop Culture & Music

Singer/ activist Sinead O’Connor just penned a powerful piece about Trayvon Martin, Racism, Loving ourselves and Hip Hop Music… It comes from her blog which is located at: http://sineadoconnor.com/

Here’s what she wrote the other day:

I would like to extend my very deepest sympathies to the family and other loved ones of murdered teenager, Treyvon Martin. I am very sad today (and am certain the whole of Ireland is) to learn of poor Treyvon’s terrifying ordeal and horrified by the fact his known and named and admitted killer has not been arrested, despite the crime having taken place a month ago. This is a disgrace to the entire human race.

For those out there who believe black people to be less than pure royalty, let me inform you of a little known, but scientifically proven, many times over, FACT. Which after reading, you will hopefully feel both very stupid and very sorry. For you dishonor your own mothers and grandmothers.

EVERY human being on earth, no matter what their culture, creed, skin colour, or nationality, shares one gene traceable back to one African woman. Scientists have named it ‘The Eve Gene’. This means ALL of us, even ridiculously stupid, ignorant, perverted, blaspheming racists are the descendants of one African woman.

One African woman is the mother of all of us. Africa was the first world. You come from there! Your skin may be ‘white’.. because you didn’t need it to be black any more where you lived. But as Curtis Mayfield said.. “You’re just the surface of our dark, deep well”. So you’re being morons. And God is having the last laugh at your ignorant expense.

If you hate black people, its yourself you hate. And the mother who bore you. If you kill or wish ill on black people, its yourself you kill and wish ill on. As well as the mother who bore you.

When you dishonor the the utter glory and majesty of black people, you lie. Your heart lies to you and you let it. Despite seeing every day, all your life, how you and your country would be less than wonderfully functioning and inspiring to the world, without the manifold and glorious contributions made by the descendants of African slaves, who did not by the way actually ask to go to America and leave their future families there to be disrespected for eternity.

What are you doing hating yourself by hating your brothers and sisters who daily show you nothing but inspiration and love, despite having NOTHING, in their own country? Despite having barely a chance of anything, because of racism. Despite being granted no ‘permission’ for proper self-esteem.

These beautiful people continue to believe in and even manifest Jesus Christ better than you do. That alone could stand as the greatest reason your racism is blasphemy, were it not for all the other reasons.

These people you hate and fear ARE the body of Christ, just as we all are. Every child, woman or man. And they know it. Maybe thats why you cant bear to look at them. Because you see Jesus Christ and you cant stand the light.

Stop this ridiculous and uneducated attitude. You would be dead without black people. Think of all the greatest music ever composed. The greatest songs. The greatest inspirational heroes.. Muhammad Ali, Mandela, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Soujourner Truth, Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield. So many absolute angels, sent from God.

Without the inspiration of these people many millions of so-called ‘white’ people, including myself would not have had the strength to pay the price of life.

And black youth in America. I’m talking to you here too. I love you. So I don’t mean to sound cross, I’m just being a mother.. Why are you killing each other? Why are you hating yourselves? You are the most important people God ever sent to this earth, every man, woman and child among you! Don’t let uneducated people win and take your self-esteem or your esteem for each other, and make you kill each other. over guns, drugs, bling, or any other nonsense.

You are now entering YOUR version of a sort of civil rights movement and you’re gonna see history being made in what has certainly the profoundest potential to become THE most wonderful country on earth. Because soon ALL ‘isms’ and ‘sits” will end. including racism, as the people of the earth begin to understand, we are all one.

We came from one mother. We are all brothers and sisters. And we CAN get beyond this ILLUSION of separateness. With prayer and love. It CAN change. It WILL change. And YOU guys (young people of all kinds) are the ones who are gonna GENTLY change it. And you know where it starts? With MUSIC.

Don’t be guided by rap. Gangsta or otherwise. Sure.. enjoy it.. adore it.as I do.. but realize this.. rap ain’t about your civil or spiritual rights, baby boys and girls. It.. along with most music nowadays.. is about falsenesses and vanities. Bling, drugs, sex, guns and people- dissing. Its giving you the message you ain’t ‘good enough’ if you don’t have bling and ting.. and money. Or if you’re not what it deems ‘sexy’.

(This is true of all popular music not rap alone. I know. Its tragically true of all popular youth culture the world over).

Poor Curtis Mayfield must be crying all day and night ALL day and night in heaven, every day and night.. To see what has been so successfully achieved by those who sent guns, drugs, and bling to squash the civil rights movement. Now you all don’t have to be murdered by racists any more.. you’re murdering each other FOR them! And your parents and grandparents are left crying.

Go back to strong black musical guides who left you information in the 60s and 70s. when they were living through the civil rights struggle. Curtis Mayfield. The Impressions. Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson. Sing back the Holy Spirit ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, as those artists did.

Forget bling. Forget “Get Rich Or Die Trying”. That is an evil message. Evil my dears is only life backwards. Turn it the right way up. With music. The messages American black youth are being given through music are not about the spiritual and therefore strong and conquering but PEACEFUL making of YOUR country into the wonderful place it secretly is and can be.. BECAUSE OF YOU, and BY YOU!!

You know not how you are adored, appreciated, valued, loved, cried for,smiled for, prayed for, all over the world. You know not how much inspiration and uplift-ment of heart you give to millions just by your presence on earth.

These musical guides will give you self-esteem. When you have self-esteem you can achieve anything. You can stand in the street as many did yesterday and change your country peacefully and with song. Chant down Babylon as the Rastas say. Rastafari will also give you self esteem. Investigate it.

You will notice, my beautiful sons and daughters, when you study, as you must, footage of all civil rights gatherings, how singing and music and sound and voice and the Holy Spirit were all employed and were so much part of the energy which moved things along.. just as running was in the South African gatherings I saw on tv in my own childhood, which inspired me to survive my own horrors.

What you listen to musically and whether or not you employ the Holy Spirit’s highest will for your life is whats gonna make you transcend all you’re having to suffer (the worst of which is low self-esteem.. or esteem based upon material ‘success’ or ‘sexiness’)) as a result of being the descendants of people who didn’t ask to be stolen and leave you where you are. Delete bling. Get conscious with your music. Demand conscious music from your artists. Go back to the artists who left you proper guidance.

This is some serious stuff and we (all manner of musical artists) are too silent on matters of enormous spiritual importance. Lemme ask you.. Jayzee and Eminem et al. Why was it always the black people only worked in the post rooms of record companies, which was always in the basement? Why was it that as each floor went up the skins got paler till it was fuckin ghosts at the top? And all us artists.. even me.. said nothing? Those buildings (record companies) always struck me as being a microcosm or painting of America, racially speaking. Christ almighty.. if its like that in the music business how is anything ever going to change?

We, musical artists are too silent on important stuff. And it is our job to be the gate-keepers of truth. ALL the people of this earth must come together eventually and see that we are one. ALL artists must stand up. Black, white, yellow, green, pink, fucking polka dot.. and be a light in these times.

The world is going to shift massively this year.. spiritually speaking. Musical artists are to be a massive part of that shift. Get up, lets all of us. And light Jah fire.. and BE lights.

Where’s the fire gone from music? Where is the love? the oneness? The knowing that music CAN and WILL move things in the right spiritual direction without hatred or violence? We must box clever. Sing the devil to sleep at your feet. Thats what Curtis teaches. He is the master of ALL musical masters. forget, forget, forget and forget again bling and guns and drugs and the worship of fame and money. Its time to wake up. We KNOW the power of music. Why aren’t we using it to change anything important?

Musicians all over the world should now gently demand this child’s killer be arrested immediately and the family of Treyvon Martin be immediately apologized to upon bended knee. Frankly. I myself would like an apology! America is a country I love and adore. what this man has done is un-American in the most horrific extreme.

Him not being arrested is extremely embarrassing and does absolutely NOT paint the true picture of of a country and a people who for the 90% majority are the kindest, most loving, intelligent, and wonderful people you could know.

Please.. ALL Americans should deplore this crime. As should ALL people of ALL nations. And deplore the fact this man has not been arrested. All Irish people should do the same. And I ask that we here in Ireland should express through our American embassy that we would like to see this man arrested this very minute. Because racism is not acceptable. Nor is vigilantism. And this was very clearly in no way at all a case of self-defense.

I leave you with some lyrics of Curtis Mayfield’s which I feel are appropriate for this situation. I am certain Curtis would have wanted to contribute to discussion on the issue of Treyvon’s murder and the condition of young black people in America today.. so here goes.. the song is called This Is My Country.. from the album of the same name.

Some people think we don’t have the right
to say its my country
before they give in
they’d rather fuss and fight
than say its my country
I’ve paid three hundred years or more
of slave-driving sweat and welts on my back
This is my country

Too many have died in protecting my pride
for me to go second class
We’ve survived a hard blow and I want you to know
that you must face us at last
And I know you will give consideration
shall we perish unjust or live equal as a nation?
This is my country.

written by

-Sinead O’Connor-

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Comments

  1. Loving this letter by Sinead O’Connor. I concur with all she said. A definite read for every peace educator, hip hop educator, youth and musician. Thanks again!

  2. Reblogged this on Moorbey's Blog.

  3. Wow. I am speechless. What an EXHALE! I am absolutely humbled by the oh so honest words of this woman! BIG UP TO SINEAD OCONNOR! For having the insight and the utter COURAGE to speak all that she did into the ethers! I cannot agree with her more (aside from the Jesus reference; that’s the other fabricated fallacy Moors (your true nationality) need to get over)! It is high time that the light of TRUTH be shined on our TRUE IDENTITY, as well as the SICK reality of the musical content nowadays….rack city bitch….bitch I’m in this thang…who are these niggas talking to and about???? TIME FOR THE MATRIARCH TO RISE BACK TO HER RIGHTFUL PLACE IN OUR SOCIO- CULTURAL DEMOGRAPHIC! Women we must take our rightful place as the mother of civilization like she said: cuz let’s face it: #1, I’m with Farrakhan, ” a nation can rise no higher than it’s woman” , and let’s face it folks, the black woman has ESCAPED CRITICISM FOR THESE HEINOUS MALES BEING RAISED THESE DAYS! I know TOO MANY BLACK MEN, who tell tales of HORRIFFICNESS at how their mother treated and ‘raised’ them, if at all. I say it is time for the silent gig to be up on the dark side of the single mother. It ain’t pretty; in fact, it’s a horrible look at what some of these women have been allowed to pass for responsible parenting. I had the misfortune of being illegally jailed recently in Las Vegas for an old satisfied ‘traffic’ infraction, and I ran into full time hookers with children integrated into that lifestyle, and they thought nothing of it. And that’s not to mention the dysfunctional ones who actually HATE the child for looking like the father. Or how about the UNSPOKEN and UNDIAGNOSED MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES running rampant in our community! Sociopathic behavior needs to be addressed as well; some of these negroes just DONT CARE about anything or anybody, and that is a dangerous recipe for DISASTER as we can see. Come on y’all, you KNOW it’s true! So we need to create a better environment as a community, for healthier people PERIOD to be raised in our neighborhoods. The HAVES gotta step up and re-deliver this knowledge to a crippled people, somehow…. Thank you SINEAD, you have brilliantly opened a discussion that is clearly LONG OVERDUE and talked about for too long at kitchen tables.

  4. Wow! Can’t find the words….VERY powerful!

  5. Reblogged this on Maintaining Your World.

  6. Shalon Dudley says

    Very powerful words from a women who is not African American and who had the courage to speak up for our race and shed light on the ignorance that exists in our everyday life. I LOVE IT… I am very humble… I want to meet Sinead O’Connor and give her the tightest hug… The words were very comforting and honest. I am so glad that someone actual spoke up about racism…

  7. This is beautiful because you are speaking to both sides….and we all need to hear it just like this plain and straight to the point….Thank You

  8. I love you #SINEAD OCONNOR, thank you for that message!

  9. FIRST OFF THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH US AS A MELANATED PEOPLE HOW MANY TIMES TILL WE GET IT NO WHITE PERSON WILL EVER TELL YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR HISTORY WE R NOT AFRICAN WE R ISRAELITES YAH’S CHOZEN PEOPLE SET APART FROM ALL NATIONS WE WERE WITH MOSES OUR ANCESTORS HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD AND SEEN HIS PRESENCE DO THE RESEARCH ALL MY WARRIORS QUIT LISTENING TO BALD HEAD DYKES FEMNISM IS WHATS DESTROYING THE BLACKMAN MOST IMPORTANTLY IT IS IMPERITIVE THAT BLACK PEOPLE KNOW JESUS CHRIST IS A GREEK ROMAN MAN NAMED CESARE BORGIA WHITE JESUS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US THE CREATORS NAME IS THE ALMIGHTY YAH AND THE MESSIYAH OUR REDDEMMER IS YAHOSHUA THE BIBLE IS BLACK HISTORY WE RULED THIS WHOLE EARTH B4 COME BACK TO YAH AND HE COMES BACK TO US AND TAKES US AWAY FROM THIS WICKED WORLD IT IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE AND MY PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT KHAZER JEWS RUN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY THEY CONSTANTLY ASSASINATE OUR CHARACTER AS A PEOPLE THE MOST HIGH DIDN’T INTEND FOR US TO B HUSTLERS PIMPS GANGBANGERS 4 THOSE WHO HUMBLE THEMSELVES WE WILL RULE THIS ENTIRE EARTH IN TRUTH JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS SO MY PEOPLE HUMBLE YOURSELVES AND COME BACK TO YAH OUR 400 YEARS OF CAPTIVITY IS ALMOST COMPLETE!!!!!

    YAHSPEOPLE.COM
    HEBREWISRAELITES.ORG
    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIJaIh-vfZA&w=560&h=315%5D

  10. She has always been a sincere person on the subject of racism and oppression.She has a long history of speaking truth to evil,whether it was the pope or the klan.

  11. The talk about “killing each other” applies mostly to black people that live in bad communities and who lack an educated lineage being handed to them in their up-bringing (of course there are exceptions) – just like anyone else engulfed in the american underclass. The hard reality is the only thing one can do when brought up in those environment is to have the humility to tolerate it long enough until one is strong enough to militantly extricate themselves from the absurd bullshit in its entirety , then learn to groom ones self for roles in society outside of it all. If you stay in the ghetto (or barrio, or red-neck crap hole, or whatever) , the stupidity that rubs off on you will NEVER end, and there’s biological evidence for this – look up “mirror neurons” online. Sinnead O’ Connor has nice intentions, but she’s just another idealist at heart that negates the primal hardships of life in place of nice prose and empty theater.

  12. NO EXCUSES says

    DAMN!

  13. Critical Eye says

    WOW! Gots to give Sinead her props!!!! Especially for telling it like it is to those of her White Brothers & Sisters who’re inflicted with a heinous demon known as white supremacy/racism- and this ain’t the first time that she’s spoken out. I remember her ripping up the Pope’s picture on SNL years ago, and speaking out about the evils of the Catholic Church. Much props to her! DaveyD, thanks for once again giving our gray matter some nutritious sustenance to digest and process. R.I.P. Rekia, Trayvon, Oscar Grant, and the multitudes of people who’ve been brutalized and snuffed out by racists and systematic racism.

  14. This is ridiculous. Ok, so some white girl half way around the world leaves a very poignant message about a black teen she’s never met and yall giving her a goddam standing ovation like she done something brave…Really!? I’m not saying she ain’t sincere or nothing, but this sh!# happens all the time. Our black kids get blasted almost every other week by these cowards! So what’s the big difference between other little boys and Treyvon Martin? Do you even know, or are you just jumping on the band wagon too!? This is the difference: the White media decided to shine the spot light on this one boy but for their own ends. Meanwhile, yall wanna congratulate every white person that has something nice to say. What the f#*@ is this!? So yall settling for pretty words now!? It use to be money, we could at least do something with that but I guess yall figured that we ain’t never gettin’ it. So pretty words will do huh! We still getting gentrified by Latinos. Whites are tossing us into prison left and right – giving us long sentences for petty crimes. Ain’t nothing change!

    When Haiti went through that devastating earthquake losing over three hundred thousand, European countries dropped in for a damn photo-op, they promised to send monies but didn’t. Even today, Haiti doesn’t get that money and people don’t care. Why is that!? They don’t care, they want them to die. Hell they want you to die! But yall don’t see that! Too busy praising white people for stringing together pretty words while their governments collude with each other to rape Africa even more.

  15. You made some decent points there. I looked on the web for additional information
    about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this website.

  16. WOW…..

  17. Yes! we are one,and we are fighting against ourselves. The sooner we realize it, the better off we will be. FYI: We must take the time to educate ourselves and each other.

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