by Sydney Samuels

A Political Science major minoring in Spanish, Sydney Samuels wrote this essay for Talisha Haltiwanger Morrison’s “Black Girl Magic” class.

Black Girl Magic, although a relatively new hashtag, has been around for as long as Black women have existed. Within a system built to encourage the success of heterosexual, cisgender, white men, it is an act of rebellion and resistance for Black women to continuously excel in all fields of study and all aspects of life in general.

What Black Girl Magic represents to me is a movement about unity, appreciation, and motivation. Throughout my life, I’ve seen so many incredible examples of Black Girl Magic whether it be in my mom, grandma, aunts, friends, or celebrities. I am surrounded by an abundance of amazing, powerful, strong, and beautiful black women who have all taught me so much about how to get through life unaffected by hatred, negativity, minor setbacks, heartbreak, or anything of the sort.

Without Black Girl Magic acting as an unbeatable source of confidence, motivation, and self-assurance throughout my childhood, I would not be the strong, talented, and over-opinionated tri-racial woman I am today. This is the same for many young girls across the world. Black Girl Magic is a movement that is meant to uplift and give hope to all young Black girls and women globally. It doesn’t matter what or who you are. All Black girls are beautiful and have the entire world at their hands.

These concepts of hope, confidence, and strength that led me to choose an annotated playlist and the songs in it. Music is the way in which I have expressed myself since I was a little girl. My mom originally taught me about things like death, loss, and overwhelming emotion through various songs, and I wanted to harness this energy into an annotated playlist.For this project, I’ve chosen four categories to divide my playlist: Rebellion, Vulnerability, Empowerment, and Beauty.

The first quarter of this playlist is meant to express disdain and heartbreak over the overwhelming amount of injustice across the world that marginally affects Black women and other women of color. I lead with the song “I Can’t Breathe” written in 2020 by H.E.R. about the BLM protests and the blatant refusal by the government and many Americans that people of color, especially Black women, are constantly beaten, killed, or disregarded by the police throughout the world.

REBELLION

“I Can’t Breathe” by H.E.R.

This was chosen to be the first song on this playlist due to the intensity of the message. At the song’s beginning, H.E.R. talks about how Black people are tired of enduring so many oppressive forces. Around minute four of the song, H.E.R. begins a monologue within an instrumental accompanying it. She uses a spoken-word section in her song to bring emphasis to the issue at hand. She exclaims that the killing, mistreatment, and disregarding of Black people will never have any effect on Black people’s strength. She then explains how the rest of the world is lucky Black people are god-fearing people and do not seek revenge but aspire for change and reparations.

“I Owe You Nothing” by Seinabo Sey

This was chosen to be the second song due to the anger and resilience within her words. The song perpetuates the side of Black women that is strong and rebellious. Black women are subjected to such high outlandish expectations; however, the song’s message counteracts this by saying Black women owe other people nothing. They don’t have to be over-polite, comforting, strong, or anything just to appeal to everyone else’s idea of what a Black woman should be and do.

“I Like Trouble” by Gaidaa

This song was selected to be under the theme of anger and resilience. In this song, Gaidaa encourages embracing your troubles. She states that instead of turning away from rebellion and fun, she embraces it. The song says “This trouble is mine… and I don’t mind it.” She shows her enjoyment in rebelling against expectations, preconceived notions, and prejudices. The song leaves the listener with the notion, “I like trouble, trouble likes me.”

Following this, the second quarter focuses on the vulnerable side of Black women. This section was meant to combat the “angry black woman” stereotype. Black women are strong and they endure countless transgressions; however, their emotions need not be undermined because of their strength. Young Black girls need nurturing and love. For Black women, it is often seen as weak to express emotions if not those of celebration or determination. The songs in this category talk about the various emotions one may feel, the stigma on feeling and expressing said emotions, and the effects being emotionally open may have on relationships and the personhood of an individual.

VULNERABILITY

“Temptation” by Raveena

This is where the playlist shifts vibes. This song is softer but has a strong backtrack. It leans out of the harsh and intense messages of the first three songs and leans further into the softness and vulnerability of Black women. They are capable of being rebellious and strong while maintaining their vulnerable and delicate side. As one of the lyrics says, “Wanna bloom, but we’re a bit guarded”; his song still has elements of the ones before that felt defensive and guarded, but the mood is beginning to feel more at ease.

“Younger Self” by Mychelle

This song is about an older version of herself teaching her younger self how to navigate love and life. This touched on the concept of a homeplace, and humanity, and is the most vulnerable song in this playlist. It is meant to show how leadership and understanding are so important. Throughout history, Black women have searched for the sort of guidance and help that they themselves provide for their entire families.

“Losing” by H.E.R

This song begins with her speaking about the attractiveness of her passion and ambition. The rest of the song is about self-worth. She is pleading for someone’s attention and respect but then realizes none of that should have to be begged for. She continuously asks, “What are we doing?” The repetition of this is accompanied by the phrase towards the end, “I ain’t gonna wait,” which indicates that she is sick of having to beg for the bare minimum.

The third quarter shifts from somber emotional music to upbeat pop and R&B. This section is dedicated to showing how wonderful and amazing Black women are. The first song, “Woman” by Nao and Lianne La Havas, refers to Black women as “magic” and says they are deserving of worship due to their self-worth, confidence, and beauty. The following two songs in this section continue this concept by referring to their time and “Queen Space” as a privilege to occupy. The last song is where this section begins to introduce the theme of self-acceptance, self-love, and the power of Black women. In “Lose My Cool” by Amber Mark, she acknowledges that sometimes it’s okay to get loud and make a scene to get things done.

EMPOWERMENT

“Woman” by Nao and Lianne La Havas

This is where the playlist begins to shift tones again. This song is more upbeat as it enters the topic of self-worth with a positive outlook. Women are described as magic. They now view themselves as something to be waiting on and cherished. The tone shifts to empowerment and rebellion without blinding anger behind it. This form of rebellion is powered by the harnessing of the beauty of Black women in their entirety. The song goes as far as to say, “Maybe you should worship me.”

“Queen Space” by Ari Lennox and Summer Walker

This song furthermore expresses the love of Black women and the true power of them at their full capacity. The song begins by insinuating they deserve to be worshipped and adored in their own space. The song says, “Don’t waste my queen space” as a way to rebel and show they are more than what people assume they are. They are powerful figures deserving of respect, love, worship and so much more. The concept of Black women as royalty is a common theme in music. I believe this to be a contrast to the oppression and prejudice Black women face in their daily lives, both systemically and societally.

“Lose my Cool” by Amber Mark

This song is the beginning of a shift from appreciation to expression and acceptance. Amber Mark says she is going to lose her cool. This breaks down the stereotype that Black women are unreasonably aggressive and disruptive by stating she will allow herself to feel all emotions fully including anger. Anger amongst women, especially Black women, is often seen as irrational or over-the-top. Mark insinuates that sometimes it is necessary for people to get loud and disruptive and that there is no shame in “Losing your cool.”

In the fourth and final quarter, the concept of Black Girl Magic comes to life in the form of the appreciation of the beauty of Black women. This section begins with the song “Masterpiece (Mona Lisa)” by Jazmine Sullivan. This song is my favorite off of the playlist. It’s a ballad about the beauty Sullivan has within her. She refers to herself as “a work of art, a masterpiece” throughout the song. I chose this to start my section on beauty as it is not only a song about Ms. Sullivan but also about Black women everywhere. They are all handcrafted, beautiful, and incredible people. The following song, “Peng Black Girls,” reinforces this in that all Black women are beautiful no matter what shape, size or color. The playlist ends with “Almeda” by Solange. This was chosen as the end of the playlist because it has a very important message within its lyrics. Solange states “black faith cannot be washed away,” which is such a strong message that all people need to hear. Being a Black woman is not an issue, a disease, or a problem. Being Black is beautiful and should be celebrated.

BEAUTY

“Masterpiece (Mona Lisa)” by Jazmine Sullivan

This song goes along with the subject of acceptance. This song is expressing that she as a woman is a masterpiece and each aspect of her is handcrafted and placed together in a way that creates nothing short of a work of art. Jazmine Sullivan is singing about how Black women are beautiful and wonderful in the simplest form. There is nothing Black women have to necessarily do to be gorgeous works of art. They are inherently stunning and deserve to be admired by the world, not hidden away or shamed for the way they look.

“Peng Black Girls Remix” by ENVY and Jorja Smith

This song talks more so about the acceptance of Black women. This song touches on the diversity of Black women whether it be hair, skin tone, or other aspects. All Black women are beautiful regardless of how they choose to express themselves: hair, style, words, and more. This song illustrates how black women are beautiful and should not be ashamed of who they are, how they look, or what they do. Instead, they should be proud of it and display it to all those willing or unwilling to accept it.

“Almeda” by Solange

This song begins with a different vibe than any of the other songs. It almost feels out of body and retrospective. The song highlights how Black culture is strong everywhere you look. Black people, especially Black women, aren’t going anywhere no matter the efforts of their opposers and oppressors. This song portrays a resilient, confident, strong, and proud side of Black women to wrap up the playlist.

View the full visual playlist…..

…or listen in Spotify and read section-by-section, song-by-song descriptions