She | Solange’s cranes in the sky and black mental health

By Aurore Iradukunda

So here I am on the verge of tears after listening to Cranes in the Sky for the first time.

Solange released last Friday her new digital album A Seat at the Table and we couldn’t feel more grateful.

Two years ago, on November 24, 2014, I remember feeling hopeless. Hopeless because the St.Louis County grand jury decided to not indict the cop who took Mike away. I remember feeling this heavy weight. It was Trayvon, now Mike, and the list kept growing and growing as weeks went by as if they all conspired to drain us of our energy, of our tears. Just like Solange, I tried to run it away, to read it away, to keep myself busy, but isn’t what we are left to do? Cope.

Cranes in the Sky is a beautiful yet painful reminder of how we constantly have to cope to stay sane. I am left thinking about how anxious our generation is left feeling and I am reminded of the importance of caring for one another and ourselves in those times.

Who do you turn to if those surrounding you are not yet fully ready to engage in the conversation surrounding black mental health? The battles we are fighting are diverse, but they are real. Let’s acknowledge it.

A Seat at the Table is the beautiful expression of an unapologetic black woman, who will not remain silent, who will not hide behind her feelings and who is inviting self-expression and healing.

Watch Cranes in the Sky below:

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Aurore Iradukunda

Writer

A student in Molecular Cell Biology and African Studies at McGill University, Aurore was born in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills. For her, SAYASPORA means giving space to voices that are too often inaudible. It's about recognizing the power of femininity and seeing it manifest in grandeur.