The post originally appeared at Ongoing History of Protest Music.

Grace Victoria is a Virginia-born and New York City-based singer-songwriter, who recently released the
album, “Love & Justice.” The album deals heavily with themes connected to the Black American
experience.

“Black Looks Better On Me,” “No,” and “Let Me Tell You” each deal with Black empowerment, and on the samba-influenced tune “Down in Virginia,” the song grapples with Victoria’s own experience growing up in the South.

Composed around the time that George Floyd was murdered by police in 2020, the tune is an exploration of the racism and violence faced by Black people on a constant basis.

The lyrics include an indictment of blatant racism as well as liberal complacency: “The people in the
country can get pretty mean. A crazy woman called me n*gger made me wanna scream. But my anger
never brought me a single thing, down in Virginia, baby.”

“When I was older I took a trip to the North. You’ll never guess what I found: The liberals are under the impression that racism is no longer around.”

Grace Victoria sheds a needed spotlight on the fact that silence is violence. If we are not speaking out
against racism, then we are part of the problem.