H.E.R. Questions Indifference To Black Agony On 'I Can't Breathe'
JUNE 19, 2020
"I can't breathe." That phrase has become ubiquitous during the movement for Black lives. Often chanted as a reference to the last words of Eric Garner, and now George Floyd, the words were uttered by at least 70 others in their final moments before succumbing to excessive police force, according to a report by The New York Times. On H.E.R.'s 2020 single titled those same three weighted words, she asks how we got to the point where a plea for mercy has been met with inhumane indifference time and time again.
When H.E.R. debuted "I Can't Breathe" during an iHeartRadio performance in June, she described the song as being "very painful and very revealing." Not only is this apparent from the track's acoustic, bluesy sound, but also the topics that it addresses — namely, the lack of empathy shown by cops who kill unarmed Black people and the hypocrisy of those who defend them but criticize protesters.
The third verse is what truly gets to the gut-wrenching emotions felt by those who are part of the movement. There, the Grammy-winning musician trades her buttery vocals for an assertive spoken word piece in which she's no longer asking how we got here — she's telling us. Cops are "desensitized to pulling triggers on innocent lives / Because that's how we got here in the first place," she says, citing America's history of oppression as the root of today's violence. H.E.R. ends by pointing out the revolution's restraint to those who oppose it: "Be thankful we are God-fearing / Because we do not seek revenge / We seek justice."
No subject is too base to make a shed load of money out of, is it 'Grammy-winning' H.E.R.? ...Listening to the lyrics, put into the correct context, it's comedy gold.
H.E.R. - I Can't Breathe (Official Video)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Can%27t ... E.R._song)
Music video
The music video for H.E.R.'s "I Can't Breathe" was released on June 26, 2020, on YouTube, and directed by Shane Adams. As of 2021, the video has received over 1.9 million views on YouTube. The music video has the song accompanying footage of different marches around the world protesting police brutality and systemic racism. The video pays tribute to victims of police brutality by displaying their names throughout the music video, some of those include George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Philando Castile.
The music video was nominated for and won both MTV's 2020 Video For Good Award and MTV Europe's 2020 award of the same name.
MORE PERFORMANCE ART...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_can't_breathe
I can't breathe
- George Floyd protest in Grand Army Plaza, June 7, 2020
"I can't breathe" is a slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The phrase originates from the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by a New York City Police Officer. A number of other Black Americans, such as Javier Ambler, Manuel Ellis, Elijah McClain, and George Floyd, have said the same phrase prior to dying during similar law-enforcement encounters. According to a 2020 report by The New York Times, the phrase has been used by over 70 people who died in police custody.
The phrase is now used in widespread protest against police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.
Eric Garner
- Justice for All March/National March Against Police Violence, Washington, D.C., December 2014
The phrase originated on July 17, 2014, during the death of Eric Garner, who was put into a chokehold by Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City Police Department officer. A video of Garner restrained by multiple officers which showed him saying "I can't breathe" 11 times before losing consciousness and dying was widely circulated. When it was announced on December 3 that after considering the case for two months the grand jury had decided not to indict Officer Pantaleo, protests erupted with Garner's last words, "I can't breathe" used as a slogan and as a chant.[6] Following the December 2014 acquittal of the officer who put Garner into a chokehold, the slogan experienced a dramatic increase in popularity amid widespread protests.
Fred Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, relates that he had already finished his 2014 list of most notable quotes and sent it out to the media on Dec 3, the same day that the grand jury decided to not indict Pantaleo for the death of Garner. Shapiro states that as he watched the news coverage with protesters turning Garner's final words into a rallying cry, within an hour he revised his list, making "I can't breathe" the top quote of the year. He expressed that it was not a slogan of only that moment, but "a phrase with real and lasting impact". Shapiro said that it was the first time he had ever revised a list.
Expressions of solidarity
- A protester in Berlin, Massachusetts, December 2014
Aided by expressions of solidarity from amateur and professional athletes and others, the hashtag "#ICantBreathe" was tweeted over 1.3 million times during December 2014.
