Retirees wouldn't allow Equity Arc teen musicians' dream to be shattered
Trump's anti-DEI vendetta stopped Black and brown students from performing with the U.S. Marine Band
I know how to play the piano and the alto saxophone, but I don’t have one picture to prove it. I learned how to play the piano in elementary school with a particularly grumpy piano teacher, who would only teach me boring songs. And in high school, I had to take a music class in order to get my diploma. I practiced with the marching band, but them doing push-ups in full band attire was a bit much for me. I quit the marching band in 24 hours but kept on playing the alto sax.
I was cheering the loudest at the Jackie Robinson Parade when my high school band performed though. I was included in the parade with the Girl Scouts of America. To this day, every time I hear Janet Jackson and Busta Rhymes “What’s It Gonna Be?” I think of my high school band’s performance — and just about every other band because it was the song to learn to play.
I recall dragging that instrument home from school repeatedly. I even learned a few things about chivalry from an elementary school friend who absolutely insisted that he could not handle watching me clumsily holding that saxophone case. He always yanked it away from me before I could argue with him and then (just like my grandfather) told me to walk on the inside of the street. I know that guy is practicing chivalry with whomever he married. He was 100% in the Friend Zone with me, but I judged every man I dated who did not make these two requirements.
Recommended Read: “Should black music students be required to learn 'the classics' or 'THEIR classics'? ~ How the Jackie Robinson Parade molded my take on saxophone, piano lessons”
And as clearly as I remember those bus rides from my high school to my neighborhood, and the 15-minute walk home and back on practice days, I also remember how much work went in to learning how to read music, figure out where my fingers should go and the funds needed to make sure I could play the alto saxophone successfully. With a piano, all I needed was my fingers. With a saxophone, if I forgot my reed, practice was a bust.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I choose to continue promoting intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. All five of my Substack publications now include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site, not just the Amazon Black-owned logo, to verify this.) If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
On a scale of 1-10, I may have been about a five. I didn’t have any Lisa Simpson or Alicia Keys bragging rights, but I could play any song that I could read the notes to. Now? I don’t think I’d clear a solid two, but I’d have to have both instruments in front of me to verify this. (I can still play the “Halloween” movie theme to freak people out in October. I did that on somebody’s keyboard a while ago.)
I am both proud and disappointed in the Equity Arc news
I’ve made my opinions about Trump more than obvious on “One Black Woman’s Vote.” I didn’t think he nor his rabbit-jumping, Tesla-selling sidekick could get any worse. And yet somehow, they manage to do so on a daily basis. I was furious to recently learn that their anti-DEI vendetta reached the Equity Arc.
Thirty new students joined Equity Arc, a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring for young, minority musicians. They were supposed to perform with the U.S. Marine Band (USMB), which was founded in 1798, during “The President’s Own.” However, the joint concert was canceled in mid-February 2025. Why? Trump's idiotic anti-DEI executive order, “Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing,” lumped these young musicians in it. The 30 students who would’ve played are Black, Hispanic, Indian and Asian. And because of his antics, they weren’t allowed to play in the original concert.
However, some retired members of the premier military and military academy bands stepped up to help them show off their hard work. Check out the “60 Minutes” coverage below.
As a former high school music student who wasn’t nearly as good as these students, I’m taking Trump’s disrespect of their educational diligence personally. But it’s good to see adults fight back against racism and ignorance, proving that everybody deserves a chance at equality — in music, in education and everywhere else.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the weekly posts every Wednesday. Thanks for reading!