MEMBERS & VISITORS
Some of us gave up on our roots…
America has done a magnificent head job on all of its participants. This is why the wheat is now being separated from the chaff and the step into tomorrow is not guaranteed. SMH
One of Mary J. Blige’s earliest lyrics, from her breakout sophomore album, “My Life,” encapsulates the theme that has become central to her 30-plus year career: “How can I love somebody else/If I can’t love myself enough to know/When it’s time/Time to let go?” It is a question that went beyond the tendency of pop and R.&B. songs of the time to look outward (Why won’t you love me?), or to focus purely on the singer’s desires (I need romance) and turned the gaze inward, acknowledging the work to be done on the self first, including most notably her understanding and love of self. The lyric also introduced one of Blige’s hallmarks: She doesn’t provide her listeners with answers to life’s big questions, instead complicating the inquiry itself, time and again. More than a guide, she is a fellow traveler.
Prof. Oku Singer, Mechanical/Solar Engineer
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