It started as an exciting family outing: Solange Knowles, her husband Daniel, 32, their 11-year-old son Daniel Jr and one of his friends went to a Kraftwerk concert in New Orleans. As fans of the German electro-pop outfit in their youth, Solange and Daniel wanted to introduce their son to a band they believe had a major influence on hip-hop.
But while the family were dancing along to the music – not, one would think, an outrageous idea at an electro-pop concert – a group of white women in the box behind them started shouting at them to sit down. When their peremptory orders were ignored, one of the women threw a half-eaten lime at them, hitting Solange.
After confronting the women, Solange, 30, shared the story on Twitter, adding “I’m just going to share my experience… so that maybe someone will understand why many of us don’t feel safe in many white spaces. We don’t ‘Bring the drama’. Fix yourselves.”
When Twitter haters tried to make it her fault for refusing to sit down, or dismiss her for “playing the race card” – and those were among the least trollish responses – Solange refused to be silenced by the inevitable pile-on. Instead, she penned a moving account in a longer, more nuanced form than Twitter can handle, and published it on the Saint Heron website (Saintheron.com).
In the piece, Solange explains how racist “othering” can be achieved without using obvious racist language. “The tone,” she writes. “It’s the same one that says to your friend, ‘/Boy/, go over there and hand me my bag,’ at the airport, assuming he’s a porter. It’s the same one that tells you, “Ma’am, go into that other line over there,’ when you are checking in at the airport at the first class counter, before you even open your mouth.”
It’s a powerful article explaining how all people of colour in the US, whether they are black, brown or native American, often feel marginalised and belittled in predominantly white environments. It’s just a pity that the people who most need to read it – bile-spewing white supremacists on social media – probably won’t.
Words: Alyn Adams