By Renee Collins Cobb, M.Ed.
Marcus Wilkerson is a Lexington, KY business owner and singer/songwriter
“We must create the ground beneath us and we’ll walk and talk with Jesus as the Romans stand and watch”
To see an artist like Marcus Wilkerson on stage performing any of his numerous prolific original songs provides a live audience with an experience they are not soon to forget. To see him telling a story in his first video “That Day” imprints an experience directly into the mind, the soul and the heart and with a seal that will never be broken.
"That Day" is Marcus Wilkerson's first official song release with a companion video opens up with the line "Why do I feel like a runaway slave?" He suggests THIS is the proverbial question for those who experience oppression throughout their lives - whose value remains to be called into question under the ideas that are upheld by the people who largely benefit from it. "In this song POC, and allies (LGBT, white women and men) are invited to call on the ancestors for guidance. The song invites us to stand in solidarity in the struggle in order to achieve a better world for our children."
Immediately, this film is a reminder that we do not see the world as it is, we see the world as WE ARE and that “WE ARE" perspective comes from the lens through which we see the world. That lens is representative of collective life experiences we experience during the course of our existence on this earth- mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
“The combination of engines and voices of persuasion speak for the silent and the dumb.”
Marcus was asked by Carla Gover, Founder of Songcrafters to write a song inspired by Juneteenth so we do have her to thank for tapping into brilliance of the creative and influential energies of this prolific, revolutionary singer/songwriter and business owner from Lexington, KY. I interviewed Marcus after viewing his very first release of a song with a companion video, "That Day" and while I knew what I was personally taking away from this experience- I asked him what he wanted the audience to take away from the experience from engaging in this story which weaves in current events, anxieties and hopes for the future.
“I wanted to write this song in a way that honored the ancestors rather than superimposing some feigned celebratory feeling of the day. To me, this was a chance to commune with the ancestors from this day forward to have them with us- to honor and cherish them because they are us."
"We do this by speaking their names and picking up where they left off. We do this by keeping the traditions and the lines of communication open so that we can manifest a better day for this world. To me, paying homage to the ancestors is what we do when we speak out against injustice – when we stop being complacent and silent and start protesting and fighting, when we protect the sanctity of life on this planet. That means your neighbor, the trees, the humpback whales- every creature."
"They are ours and we are theirs.”
Few artists capture and ignite the spirit and essence of personal and professional growth in all of us like Marcus Wilkerson – as we are not only HUMANS BEING but we are HUMANS LIVING. Checking our own biases and the way WE see the world requires an intentional ability to stop our thoughts before they become actions which later become decisions. Understanding the perspective of others before we formulate our own thoughts and create our own perspectives on what is going on in the world transforms us from BEING into LIVING.
“Give me the spirit of those that paved the way
Give me their SOUL, PARTS, MIND, HEARTS, WORDS, STRENGTHS and THE THINGS FOR THEM THAT WHICH WAS MEANT
Like the language they used to express, we will fight till there’s no more left."
Marcus adds "The song that you are about to witness, "That Day" is a reflection of a movement from its early stages to now. "I had a dream bout' you and me. We were slaves and we were told to vacate our current home cause we just found out we're free. But it came with a caveat. We must create the ground beneath us, then we walk and talk with Jesus, while the Romans stand and watch." The dream in this song is a condensation-a montage of what it means to be a person of color under the White Patriarchal Power Structure in place since the beginning of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
This is a song-an anthem, rather, a beckoning for all humans to stand in solidarity during a time when police brutality and other crimes of hate are tantamount to the covert racism that persists within the confines of white privilege. It's an auspicious time when old wounds are opened wider than ever in order to have the conversation about how we got here as a species. From the ignorance that hate produced to the self-hate that ignorance promotes, the conversation is about the super-imposed ideas that we struggle with everyday.
“The combination of engines and voices of persuasion speak for the silent and the dark.”
Marcus Wilkerson is a singer/songwriter and the owner of Lexington, KY based Jun-Bug Probiotic Soda. Jun Bug Probiotic Honey Soda uses the finest quality ingredients and brewing techniques to create a genuinely wholesome soda. Sweetened with unheated raw regional honey, our sodas are delicious while still harnessing the benefits of live enzyme cultures. The refreshing flavor appeals to both those seeking a delicious beverage and a healthful tonic. http://www.kentuckyjunbug.com His music can be downloaded from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play.
Renee Collins Cobb, M.Ed. is the former host of NPR's “Red Barn Radio”, and current host of Lexington Community Radio’s radio shows/podcasts “Overtones”, “Gray Matters” and “Listen Locally Open Mic Night at The Twisted Cork”. In addition, she is also the President of Collins Consulting Group, LLC, and co-owner with Warren Cobb of Listen Locally, LLC and the 501c3 non-profit organization, Room 17 Productions.