Racism In 'We Are The World Or Imagine'?

Music, for generations, has been used to display the continuous atrocities occurring within our world; whether the musical composition be “We Are the World” or “Imagine” by the infamous John Lennon. These influential songs helped identify the sociological struggles the world was facing during those times of turmoil and strife. Currently the American society is dealing with various forms of racial tension amongst the communities of our diverse country. Society’s perception of race and the values we have tied to individual ethnic groups for a long time have been misconstrued in such a way that they have led to institutional racism and privilege. Discussing race and its role in society often times is a taboo subject for many individuals, but in

These messages center around the ideas of race through the viewpoint of the African-American male mindset. The first striking line states, “I was raised in a decade of hate young nigga”. The 1960s, the decade in which this quote is referring to, was more or less filled with the same magnitude of racial tension that is plaguing society today. T.I. claims that the times of his childhood, much like today, have people of all colors fighting and bickering over the inequalities of society, resulting in an environment saturated with hate. This claim promotes the idea that race is what creates separation between us all even though no particular ethnic group is biological different than one another (Brannon, “Race Lecture”). Although taken out of context this line seems as though it would contribute to the inequality in society, but with a closer look, any individual can see that T.I. wants to rid the world of this ugly truth. No adolescent should have to grow up with hate within their heart because of the opinions of the people around them. T.I. was exposed to this injustice and wants to correct this wrong before it effects any future generations. The next line deals with the notion that African-American males are not truly apart of the American society as a whole. Approximately halfway through the song, T.I. can be heard saying, “What the fuck do you know about being a black man in America?”. T.I. understands the fact that African-American males in the United States suffer from an inability to acquire wealth, income, education, or job status, the four determinants of class in our society (Brannon, “Class Lecture”). Institutional inequality has kept a good portion of the African-American male population from succeeding in various endeavors, and this line helps to bring to light this sad but somewhat unknown information. The third and final pivotal