Interview + reflection

The speaker discusses the lyrics of a song that highlight the dehumanization of black people in society, particularly within the legal system. They mention the school-to-prison pipeline and the mistreatment of African American men by law enforcement. The speaker emphasizes the need to humanize individuals and recognize their rights to a fair trial. They mention the Black Lives Matter movement and how people of color are tired of being treated as objects. The lyrics refer to black men as barcodes, symbolizing the commoditization and ongoing police brutality faced by the black community. So it's the very last verse. I'm not going to rap this. Lord knows I have no rhythm. So it's, you just a black man in this world, you just a barcode, you just a black man in this world, driving expensive 4Ns. You just a big dog, I kindled him in the backyard. No prolly ain't life to a dog, or a big dog. So I'm gonna, yeah, sorry. Do I have to keep my camera on? Oh, you don't have to. Okay. So, sorry, I was on Google. That lyric specifically stood out to me, because, like, the first two especially, like, yo, just a black man in this world, yo, just a barcode. I think that when it comes to the legal system, and when it comes to, like, the school to prison pipeline, and just how many African American men get sent to prison and become just like a cell number or a barcode, I think it's really hard and dehumanizing. And I think the song's purpose was just that. I think those lines really, like, highlighted the way that, like, regarding the BLM movement, like, half of these officers don't, like, after they've committed police brutality, whether they've killed the person or not, like, half of these police officers and, like, the people that support them don't really know the story behind each individual victim. And whether they live or die isn't, you know, that's not the, that's part of the issue. But the broader issue is, like, humanizing these people and recognizing that, like, whatever their past, you know, law enforcement is not the entirety of the legal system. Everybody is supposed to have a right to a fair trial. Law enforcement cannot be judged during execution or within the two or three seconds that it takes them to pull the trigger on someone. That's not the way that this country is supposed to be. So, I think those two lines really just highlighted that, like, people of color are very, very tired of either one being just, like, commoditized, like, sorry, commoditized, and the... My interviewee, Mandy Williams, an activist for the Black Lives Movement, talks about how Black people are seen as objects that are, and that's how police brutality continues, as referenced through them being called a barcode in the lyrics.