Solange Discusses Hostility in “Predominately White Spaces” After Kraftwerk Concert Incident
Last night, Solange went to a Kraftwerk concert in New Orleans with her 11 year-old son, his friend, and her husband. During the event, she tweeted about a hostile incident that took place. While dancing to one of her favorite Kraftwerk songs, she wrote that “4 older white women yell to me from behind ‘Sit down now.’ I tell them I’m dancing at a concert. They yell, ‘you need to sit down now.’” Then, according to Solange, they threw a lime at her. Find those tweets below.
Today, she shared an essay on her Saint Heron website called “And Do You Belong? I Do.” She wrote about the Kraftwerk concert and gave more context for the story by writing about other incidents when she felt similarly. She goes on to detail what happened after she was hit with the lime.
“You inhale deeply. Your husband calmly asks the group of women did they just throw trash at you. One woman says, ‘I just want to make it clear, I was not the one who yelled those horrible, nasty, things at you.’ Loud enough for you to hear. This leads you to believe they were saying things way worse than what you heard, but you are not surprised at that part one bit.”
She continues, writing, “You realize that you never called these women racists, but people will continuously put those words in your mouth. What you did indeed say is, ‘This is why many black people are uncomfortable being in predominately white spaces,’ and you still stand true to that.” Solange than explains that this kind of incident is unfortunately a common one. “You and your friends have been called the N word, been approached as prostitutes, and have had your hair touched in a predominately white bar just around the corner from the same venue.”
She concludes her essay explaining that even amidst the hostility of the incident, she and her family were able to enjoy the concert:
“After you think it all over, you know that the biggest payback you could ever had (after, go figure, they then decided they wanted to stand up and dance to songs they liked) was dancing right in front of them with my hair swinging from left to right, my beautiful black son and husband, and our dear friend Rasheed jamming the hell out with the rhythm our ancestors blessed upon us saying…We belong. We belong. We belong. We built this.”
Read the full essay here.
Let me tell you about why black girls / women are so angry….
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
I took my son, his friend, and my husband to see Kraftwerk in New Orleans…
Was very excited to dance and enjoy a band I love.— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
We are 4 of about 20 black concert goers out 1500 here.
4 out of maaaybbe 20 out of 1500.— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
We walk in, and one of my favorite songs, Machine, is on. I’m excited to tell my son about how hip hop sampled Kraftwerk. We are dancing.
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
4 older white women yell to me from behind, “Sit down now” . I tell them I’m dancing at a concert. They yell, “u need to sit down now”…
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
We are at an ELECTRONIC and DANCE music concert and you are telling…not asking me…to sit down. In front of my child.
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
They proceed to throw something at my back….
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
Now the old me……
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
But in this moment, I’m just going to share my experience…
So that maybe someone will understand, why many of us don’t feel safe…— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
…in many white spaces…
We don’t “bring the drama”….
Fix yourself.
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) September 10, 2016
Now back to me & my husbands favorite song
“Autobahn” ….& not giving a fuck about you lovely ladies so mad this lil black girl having fun
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