Reclaiming Our Way promoting the well-being of African American children & families

14Feb/162

Black Love, 2016

Today I'm reposting last year's Black love message, with three additional songs added to the playlist. These include Gregory Porter's defiant stand against love's failure, No Love Dying, followed by a plea for the approval of one's true love's parents, in Real Good Hands. To help close out the set, there's another Porter favorite, When Love Was King, a lyrical painting of the world we want our children to re-member.

The major lesson I'm learning as time passes is that love really isn't that complicated. It's our ability to create space for its full and healthy expression that's complicated; that includes space for love's giving and receiving. And it's all of that stuff that we've accumulated through the years and now carry with us that takes up that space. I'm clearly still a work in progress... but I do still believe.

lotus flower - meditation before blooming

Black love is beautiful,
even if a little complicated.
As we continue find our way back to ourselves,
love's spirit always finds its way home.

In celebration of this year's weekend celebrating the timelessness and enduring beauty of Black Love, I pulled together a musical tribute in celebration of the beauty that we are. I hope you enjoy the playlist, and I welcome your comments, and any suggestions of songs that you'd add to the list.

love our people...

Step into the music: black love music celebration

This year's 24-song playlist...

  1. Mali Music - Beautiful
  2. India Arie & Musiq Soulchild - Chocolate High
  3. Gregory Porter - No Love Dying
  4. Gregory Porter - Real Good Hands
  5. l Jarreau - So Good
  6. Otis Redding - Try a Little Tenderness
  7. Leela James - Fall for You
  8. Alicia Keys - If I Ain't Got You
  9. India Arie - He Is the Truth
  10. Ledisi - I Blame You
  11. Gregory Porter - Be Good (Lion's Song)
  12. Randy Crawford & Joe Sample - One Day I'll Fly Away
  13. Raheem DeVaughn - Woman
  14. Esperenza Spalding - Black Gold
  15. India Arie - Break the Shell
  16. Whitney Houston - Greatest Love of All
  17. India Arie & Akon - I Am Not My Hair
  18. Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely
  19. Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit
  20. The Isley Brothers - Caravan of Love
  21. The SOS Band - Tell Me You Still Care
  22. Earth, Wind & Fire - Reasons
  23. Gregory Porter - When Love Was King
  24. Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers - Be Encouraged
Comments (2) Trackbacks (0)
  1. Great list, esp. So Good and SOS. May I offer Deneice Williams’ Black Butterfly.


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