By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
It’s more than a regular brain can grasp. Akin to a horribly bad dream, yet here we are in the throes of a whirlwind of chaos, intent on taking us backward. And for what? The short answer -for him. Trump’s passion is himself. He is so fragile that he knocks down anyone and everyone else to promote himself. The reins of power, firmly in the hands of a self-serving zealot whose underlying mantra is always – Me Me Me! Comfort in these times seems impossible. The ability of the people to fight back though is now manifesting in several movements across the nation. And let’s not forget, there is a proposition, we can always improve on and rely on – our faith.
How often have we heard that in- order- to move forward, we need to step back. In this case, just a little look-back, a reminder of another time in America’s vicious racial history, and a reminder of a family with Mississippi roots that brought renewed faith to the world. Roebuck “Pops” Staples was born in Winona, Mississippi. He was the patriarch of The Staples Singers. Children Cleotha and Pervis were born in Drew, Mississippi, and Mavis and Yvonne were born in Chicago. The Staples Singers were a leading gospel group by the mid-50’s and scored numerous secular Top 20 hits in the 70’s – Heavy Makes You Happy, Respect Yourself, and I’ll Take You There – which reached #1 on both Pop and R&B charts. The family won two Grammy awards long after they were seared into the heart of America.
On March 19, 1999, The Staples Singers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria ballroom in New York City, alongside Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Charles Brown, and others. When the family accepted the induction from presenter Lauryn Hill, Pops – 85 years of age – had a simple message on the very high stage. “I’ve been a Christian since I was a little boy, and I’ve been living it all my life and I’m gonna keep on living it and you can’t stop me….I just want you to know that I am a child of God and if you will follow Him, you will not go wrong…whether your young or old, always hold on to your dreams…I went from 12 to 72 years old before I got to make a record, and then to 84 before I got a hit record…whatever you do, don’t give up.” Pops passed less than two years later. https://rockhall.com/inductees/staple-singers.
The youngest of the four siblings is Mavis, who this writer has seen perform live four times, was still performing with the family when she started a solo career that has soared. Three Grammy’s and numerous other awards including being named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2016. In 2004 she recorded the album Have a Little Faith for Alligator Records, which went on to win both album and song of the year at the Blues Music Awards as well as the Americana Music Awards Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award.
“Have a little faith, I say
Have a little faith, my friend
We’ve got to help each other
Through thick and thin
These are trying times
That we’re living in
Have a little faith, I say
Have a little faith, my friend.”
Trying times is right! A full-on assault by the white power structure. Trump may be the current leader, but there are layers of others lined up behind him to do the same things. Each day he remains in office, becoming a clinic for white want-to-be power brokers, authoritarians, insurrectionist pardoners, and democracy killers.
“We got trouble
Everywhere around the world
There’s not a safe place to be
For any woman, man, boy, or girl
And everywhere you turn
There’s destruction and pain
You get a mouthful of promises
And a hat full of rain.
Just have a little faith, I say
Have a little faith, my friend
We’ve got to help each other
Through thick and thin
These are trying times
That we’re living in
Have a little faith, I say
Have a little faith, my friend.”
We have had other presidents who’ve had contentious relationships, but Trump stands alone in his histrionics of perceived enemies, whether they be leaders of countries, award winning journalists, members of marginalized groups, and even members of his own party – elected by the people – who don’t agree with him. “Scum, vermin, criminals, horrible people,” are some of the names he assigns to denigrate and dehumanize those who don’t agree with his almighty words and policies.
“There’s evil all around us
We’ve got to rise above
Got to fight the good fight
With that war with love
Hold on, hold on
Help is on the way
There’s a better tomorrow
I can feel it today
Now, have a little faith, I say
Have a little faith, my friend
We’ve got to help each other
Through thick and thin
These are trying times
That we’re living in
Oh, have a little faith, I say
Have a little faith, my friend.”
(Song writers Jim Tullio and Jim Weider)
Let’s focus today on what we can do and take a reminder from Mavis Staples who has seen so much in her lifetime and is the last surviving member of The Staples Singers. She had a birthday earlier this month and continues to perform regularly and release new music, per https://mavisstaples.com.
Be the first to comment