*(Los Angeles) – The world is raging. The nation is anguishing. The city is burning. Hatred and injustice were pandemics in this country long before COVID-19 showed up. We are fighting two viruses at the same time. Both have the potential to isolate us from each other or to bring us together in new ways. That is where Sekou Andrews’ newly released video, and accompanying single, for his poem “Love Says” comes in.
Releasing the piece in 2019, for the GRAMMY® award-nominated album Sekou Andrews & The String Theory, poet Sekou Andrews could not have known exactly how soon the piece would reflect the types of injustices that are now being protested across the country, But, as a Black in America, he knew it wouldn’t belong.
Partnering with the incredibly creative agency Optimist Inc., the mission was to make the most beautiful message about what love says.
“It all started when Sekou and The String Theory recorded a song and video in our studios last year. After hearing the powerful words of “Love Says” we knew that we had to focus on exactly that, the words. Any film had to get out of the way and give Sekou the stage to express them. It was an exercise in restraint that left us with the words and the artist, literally,” states Optimist Chief Creative Officer Toygar Bazarkaya.
Sekou says of the poem, “I wish I could say I was inspired to write it by this latest act of racial violence that is setting our nation aflame. Just as the knee of systemic racism has been asphyxiating Black people long before the murder of George Floyd, this poem was inspired long before.”
There has been a constant theme of violence in America against people of color but, more specifically, Black men and women. From the ills of slavery that started in the 1600s to 2020s COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-existing police brutality, Black folks get the short end of the stick.
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Say Their Names: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Emmett Till, Black Panthers Fred Hampton. Trayvon Martin, Aiyana Jones, and on and on…
While science scrambles for a vaccine for the Coronavirus, humanity has already been incubating the vaccine for the hatred virus.
Sekou states, “The only thing I believe can cure the virus of hatred is Love. Not the painless, sing-songy, kumbaya version, but the burning eyes, burning throat, and burning blood version. Not just the ‘Love thy neighbor’ version, but the ‘Love thy enemy’ version.” He continues, “The vaccine is comprised of both the “turn the other cheek” strain of Love and the ‘by any means necessary’ strain because, in that duality is where love has always lived.
About Sekou Andrews GRAMMY® nominated spoken word poet Sekou Andrews, a schoolteacher turned award-winning recording artist and two-time national poetry slam champion, is one of the most successful spoken word poets in the world. On any given day, you may find Sekou keynoting at a Fortune 500 company, inspiring thousands at a concert, or performing for Barack Obama in Oprah’s backyard. Sekou innovated a new category of public speaking called “Poetic Voice,” which seamlessly fuses inspirational speaking with spoken word poetry. His poetic keynotes are in such high demand with leading brands like Google, Toyota, Nike, PayPal, Viacom, E.A. Games, and Microsoft that Forbes has called him a “polymath” and “the de facto poet laureate of corporate America.” With that, he has won the 2020 gold “Entrepreneur of the Year” Stevie® Award. Sekou has shared the stage with music heavyweights Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Maroon 5, and Kendrick Lamar, to name but a few. His latest, genre-bending album of poetry paired with The String Theory, a neo-classical orchestra from Europe, has made him the first contemporary spoken word poet to be nominated for the 2020 GRAMMY® “Best Spoken Word Album” in twelve (12) years. He has also won two (2) 2020 Independent Music Awards for “Best Spoken Word Song” and “Best Spoken Word Album.”
Connect with Sekou Andrews: Twiiter | Instagram | Facebook
About Optimist Inc. – Architects of Sub-Culture We make progressive content and experiences.
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source:
Billy Johnson Jr.
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