jazz vocalist Pauline Jean shares a heartfelt single/video “Ain’t I A Woman (Singing Truth)” on the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a law signed to end racial discrimination in voting.

The piano-driven (played by Axel Laugart ) track is a pure showing of Jean’s soothing and commanding vocals that grips the soul with every line. Inspired by the activist Sojourner Truth and the often forgotten history of the role black women played in the women’s suffrage movement, Jean takes an unapologetic look at the way black women were unfairly treated throughout history. She ponders on the situation with lines “…That man in black said you can’t have as much as me/ he said ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman and that was his logic you see…!” and gives a rousing response with the following “…where did your Christ come from? he came from God and a woman/ man had nothing to do with his son…”

Jean doesn’t hold back and tackles the racial prejudices that have contributed to Black women’s invisibility for centuries. This is something that many might have refused to talk about but Jean is more than willing to shed the light for those who are not in the know.

For the visuals, Jean teams up with director/choreographer Janet Huey and producer Sydaiya Rehema who help bring the singer’s message to the screen with their expressive concept. The use of the black ballet dancers is a metaphor for black synergy and the need for both parties to work together to achieve their common goals.

“Ain’t I A Woman” (Singing Truth) serves as a re-introduction and re-imagining of the core essence of Sojourner Truth, a strong and unapologetic Black woman.  She was a very powerful force in the fight for justice and equality for both African Americans and all women in the United States.

 

Keep up with Pauline Jean | Website: Instagram

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