AdvanceBlog

As a child, many of my favorite television shows had catchy introduction songs. Fat Albert, Welcome Back, Kotter, Different Strokes, Good Times, and a handful of others have permanent residence in my cherished memories because of their songs. Recently, I have been captivated with watching The Wire on DVD. Just like the treasured shows of my childhood, The Wire also has a catchy introduction song.

Each season of The Wire opens with a different artist performing “Way Down In The Hole”; yet it is the Blind Boys of Alabama’s interpretation during season one that has captivated my attention and conjured deep cultural meaning. The Blind Boys’ version has the feel of a wooden white steeple church on a dirt road, with wooden floors, wooden pews, and nearly unbearable heat. Their version of the song evokes the imagery of hard working field laborers, with calloused hands and weather beaten skin gathered together in the one public place where they could maintain their dignity without being directly burdened by race. The Blind Boys channel the pain, the strength, and the soul of the Black church with raspy tenor and baritone timbre that is nearly absent in contemporary music.

My friend Rashad and I were discussing the uniqueness of the song, how fitting it is to The Wire, and more notably the soulful wailings of The Blind Boys. While lamenting on the absence of that type of spirit in our music, Rashad assessed the dilemma perfectly. He said “to create that type of sound, you would have to have been through something.” Indeed, he was right – to create something of timeless value, to develop something of resonating meaning, to share a gift from the soul for the uplift of others – to do all of those things, one would first have to have been through something.

W.E.B. DuBois could capture and convey The Soul of Black Folks because he had been through something.   Zora Neale Hurston could compose literary and cultural masterpieces because she had been through something. Earl Graves can develop and maintain a successful magazine geared toward minority businesses because he had been through something. Ruth Simmons can effectively lead a distinguished university because she too, has been through something.

Chances are, the aspirations you may have for growth will only come to fruition after you have been through something. “Something” is an ambiguous term that permits the diversity of our circumstances to culminate into our personal life lessons. Our choices to gather meaning from those life lessons and share their value become the substance of our relationships. When we share our life lessons, we enrich the experiences and the lives of others.

Another friend, Solomon, often shares the story of Hattie Green. As described by Solomon, Hattie was found in her apartment having died some time days before. When Solomon tells the story, he evokes feelings of emptiness, loneliness and inconsequence. He emphasizes what good is life if you could die and no one would know or care that you were gone. While we cannot speak of Hattie personally, I imagine that the unremarkable nature of her demise could be attributed to no one knowing her life lessons and no one being familiar with the “something” that gave shape to her life. For you see, what good is it to go through something if you fail to share your experiences with others?