It's a common and poisonous mistake to mute Prince's Blackness. I heard the celebrated Prince scholar Zaheer Ali speaking on our sister station MPR News about "We March" and "Baltimore" recently, and it reinforced my commitment to amplify Prince's Blackness and highlight his music that speaks directly to it.

I am proud that Purple Current is one of many organizations continuing to advance the conversation about Prince's music, life and activism. But, muting Blackness is easy for myself and the organization I work for. It's been an American way of life since before this place was called America. I'm working to change that for myself and for the organization I represent.

In the run-up to today — what I anticipate will be the most observed Juneteenth in American history so far — I asked Purple Current listeners for their help in putting together this playlist of Prince's greatest protest songs to share on social media throughout this weekend and beyond.

External Link

Prince - official site