9/11
In great respects to those lives lost on 9/11 19 years ago today prayers and love go out to their loved ones.
Today marks probably one of the darkest occurrences in United States history that ushered in a nearly 20 year war, hatred towards both not only Muslims and even Jews but anyone of Brown skin who could be mistaken for the subjective people who all of sudden every last one of our lives found ourselves called into question in some form or perhaps another. I recall after 9/11 occurred there were talks among peers from those of us of ambiguous ancestry or appeared to be how it was daunting to know what the societal or even lawful outcomes would be. One young Girl I knew and performed with was actually Black American on paper but like most Black Americans obviously was multi ethnic somewhere in her lineage thus granting a very Middle Eastern appearance. 9/11 had only occurred a few days prior and she was already having to defend herself frequently . I myself was instructed not to wear a headscarf of any kind (Alicia Keys style was huge as she had just dropped her album that summer therefore headscarf’s were majorly in style for ethnic Girls and Women especially), a stick on nose piercing I would sometimes don as a young Girl, or even be out in public alone more than usual for a Girl based on concern someone might enact harm based on my ambiguity. The elevation in hate crimes towards those of Muslim or any Middle Eastern descent upped extensively post 9/11 the FBI has confirmed several times. This was much so that even the late musical artist ,Prince, created an entire song and video around the animosity towards Arabic, Middle Eastern, or just brown complected inhabitants in general. The video was actually banned off several music video outlets at the time but yet had no qualms of showing illicit material of little merit or even talent left and right but I digress. The works were powerful and it did shock some but it also made viewers deliberate in their mind as to ideas of Brown complected individuals and or Muslims as well. Either way to those who lost innocent lives love and prayers go out to you today. Let us all be vigilant that hatred, animosity, faulty belief systems, and bigotry is what led to 9/11 occurring in the first place.
“As war drums beat in Babylon
Cinnamon Girl starts to pray
I never heard a prayer like this one
Never before that day
Tearful words of love for people she had never met before
Asking God to grant them mercy in this face of a holy war
Cinnamon Girl
Cinnamon Girl of mixed heritage
Never knew the meaning of color lines
911 turned that all around
When she got accused of this crime
So began the mass illusion, war on terror alibi
What’s the use when the god of confusion
Keeps on telling the same lie?
As war drums beat in Babylon
And scorch the blood red sky
Militants bomb the foreign gun
Both sides, children die
Cinnamon Girl opens the book she knows will settle all the scores
Then she prays after the war that there will not be anymore.” Prince Cinnamon Girl Excerpt
