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theshedding · 4 months

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Family, Grief, Religion & Manners

So the day (or day after) my Mom died exactly two months ago, one of her favorite cousins of her age group called me to offer me his condolences. This cousin lives in Hampton, VA and is a retired, married professional living a solid middle class, boomer life. Yet he never called to check on me/her (except once in the hospital), never came to see about her or send a birthday card or flowers in the year and some months she was home.

Until she passed. Then he calls me; after initially offering condolences, he quickly launched into his own grief narrative around his mother some years back (centering himself), going on and on…and on.

Then he asks “Are you a Christian?” I say “No, we’ve had this conversation before” (re: we talked extensively about my non-belief in 2022, though he didn’t recall). He then begins to say, “Iook, I know you don’t believe, but I want you to know if you just call on the name of Jesus and say his name 3x every time you miss your mother, that feeling will go away!”

Stunned, I say nothing. He pauses and goes on. “Trust me, it will work! I promise you.”

He kept repeating this and centering his own story of grief-rather than saying something helpful or consoling. I could go on….but the point is, in the immediate aftermath of my mom’s death, I was being forced to engage his theological views and false gospel…even though he knew I was not a believer. In fact, BECAUSE I am not a believer. As the call drew to a close, I remained mostly silent, placated him a bit, made no promises and ultimately, politely ended the call.

___________________

The point of this story? As I have been wrapping up sending the thank you cards to those who came to the service (or couldn’t come)-today I kept the promise I made to myself following the call with this cousin and decided to send him a very customized, special message. Let’s just say “it’s been in my spirit” to address him.

This is how I put my feelings into words:

Dear Cousin, I hope you have had a good holiday season and start to the new year. Thank you again for your condolences last November, and for the loving card you mailed. I write however, both to acknowledge and draw attention to a great offense I took during your phone call in the immediate days following my mother's transition. Out of respect for the loving friendship the two of you shared, and my grief and shock, I listened to your evangelism over the phone but chose not to offer a rebuttal at the time. However, following critical reflection I am afraid there is one. Saying "Jesus three times" to alleviate the grief of my mother (or any loved one) does not and did not "work". But it did serve as a crude and misplaced effort to wield power and privilege over someone who has politely already expressed to you their disbelief in the tenants or claims of your faith. Imposing Christian mantras upon someone who expressly does not share Christian beliefs -for a variety of reasons- is inappropriate, offensive, and unbecoming, in fact. You did this repeatedly over your phone call. Had I been Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Yoruba or of any other faith, I imagine you might have extended more courtesy and respect for my beliefs than what I listened to on the phone. But apparently to you, a secular humanist and atheist does not get afforded the same courtesy or consideration-even given the death of his mother some 48 hours prior. The truth is, I am not only a non-Christian, but I am also a secular activist, congressional advocate for Black Freethought, and a Black, Queer secular community organizer on these issues specifically: religious freedom, interfaith advocacy, anti-religious stigma, and linkages to Black and minority communities in health, sexuality, education, etc...You show no interest in the "why" of my non-belief; only that I am a non-believer and effectively targeted me for a Christian conversion on a call where I was grieving the loss of my mother. Might you ever wish to understand why I am-or others like me are no longer a Christian (or religious, generally), please consult my work; one of which is entitled "Where We're Headed" (wwh.podbean.com), an award-winning narrative podcast that takes a deep dive into Black history covering the legacy and phenomena of religious dissent as political resistance all around the African diaspora. There I engage in these and other related topics for anyone interested, no matter their faith. My mother knew these things about me-my non-belief and religious skepticism were no secret. And though she kept her faith (and I respected it), she also celebrated my work and was proud of my activism and political and cultural advocacy. Please know I have no interest in your conversion or de-conversion; I respect and support your choice to believe -or not- based upon your autonomy if nothing else. But like many before me raised a believer who then changed my mind about their faith tradition, so have I. The right to change one's mind about any faith tradition at any moment-given sufficient and/or empirical evidence against it, is a right I claim proudly for myself. Losing a parent is not an opportunity to affirm your beliefs- but an opportunity to show care, interest, comfort, and sensitivity to those who cared for, and showed up for that loved every day during their last years-even to those who are atheists. Given those two options, an unequivocal "I'm so sorry for your loss" will always suffice for a better message of condolences. Sincerely, -R

Podcast: “Where We’re Headed” W: wwh.Podbean.com // Produced by Fibby Music Group, LLC Sponsored by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities

I said what I said. This was wholly inappropriate; I will say what deserves to be said.

Besides, he didn't even come to the funeral.

#rogiers #fibbymusic #blackness #secular humanism #secular humanist #black atheist #atheist #deconstructing religion #interfaith dialogue #Christian privilege #evangelical #black queer #Religious skepticism #queer black

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theshedding · 4 months

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No pretense, nothing profound here…just me bout to dig into this plate at the Kwanzaa celebration 😂.

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My heartfelt thanks to all my real friends for their love & support during this season. I am on the ‘long journey’ but I am taking things one day at a time.

“The outside is the same, but the inside is different.” 💕

C’mon 2024. ✨

________

#Rogiérs #RogiérsFibby #fibbymusic #FibbyMusicGroup

#fibbymusic #rogiérsfibby #rogiérs #indieartist #rogiers #black men

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theshedding · 10 months

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On this day of the gutting of #AffirmativeAction, advocacy and a few other things-here's a thought about the Atheist "Community" as I've experienced it:

(1) "Community” is not having a few drinks and laughs together at a conference or rally. (2) When a person is perceived as “useful”, people will cover-up for them. When they are not, they will be treated with indifference. (3) The George Floyd & "BLM" social justice wave provided non-profits everywhere a platform of opportunism disguised as care.

____________

So many thoughts worth comment on regarding blatant hypocrisy of the formalized Secular Humanist & Atheist Community-especially concerning its use of Black people for #DEI bona fides. However in general, this one resonates with me the most:

-> Opportunism disguised as "care" is not "community".

#religion #africandiaspora #atheists #atheism #secularism #secular humanism #community #religious freedom #nonprofit #social justice #commentary #podcast #black freethought #rogiérs #activist #black activist #volutneerism #atheist community

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theshedding · 1 year

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Celebrate love 💕 and your loved ones ✨

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theshedding · 1 year

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Today's podcast Ep. 22 features the next installment of our #AbroadSeries. We're deep-diving into "The Mission Field" from NYC to Brasil, Nigeria to Uganda, India & Caribbean feat. Dr. Adria...all in a critical look at untold stories of conversion. ✨#Missionaries ✨ _________________ #WWH #podcast #blackpodcasts #Rogiérs #RogiérsFibby #blackhistorymonth #blackfreethinkers #BSC #secularhumanist #africandiaspora #religion #racism #evangelical #mothertheresa https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp6duRqMuuz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#abroadseries #missionaries #wwh #podcast #blackpodcasts #rogiérs #rogiérsfibby #blackhistorymonth #blackfreethinkers #bsc #secularhumanist #africandiaspora #religion #racism #evangelical #mothertheresa

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theshedding · 1 year

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The Power of Black Dissent

For years I have talked about the “power of dissent” and the act of speaking truth to power. Over the years a large part of my speaking out has specifically been through the lens of religious dissent. For this is an under-appreciated legacy that has animated Civil Rights and social justice movements all over the African Diaspora for generations and (at least) hundreds of years following enslavement of African and indigenous peoples. It is not lost to irony that I write this entry on the day after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s federal holiday; himself an activist who’s greatest known speech was due in large part to the work of A. Phillip Randolph, a Black secularist. For all that Black religion has been said to offer we would likewise be nowhere, if not for the dissenting power of non-religious, Black, secular, doubting people and their activism.

I talk about this in detail on a new podcast and since the 2010′s I have enjoyed a kind of ‘wind at my back’ through Black Nonbelievers, a leading “non-profit” social justice organization that works to reframe culture, identity and Black advocacy through the lens of religious dissent, education and representation. Since 2011 it has been a thrilling ride; one that initially gave me “a place to land” as I transitioned out of a faith tradition that demonstrably caused harm and no longer served me socially, ethically or logically. Later, after years of fellowship and feeling like Black Nonbelievers (BN) was a place of refuge and strength-I sought to lead the local group in Washington, DC with the hopes of amplifying our visibility, legislative advocacy and community outreach.

I am an activist. And I have worked in Black empowerment spaces, groups and non-profit organizations for most of my life; from being an actor in Black community theater (DC); to being a Treasurer and later President of the Black Student Union at Berklee College of Music in my undergrad years; to working at the “College Path” non-profit org at the YMCA helping Black and Latinx youth prepare for college and professional careers; to being a professional music educator and even Minister of Music for 20+ years working with-and mentoring young people all over the East Coast...working and “holding space” for community, education, enlightenment and Black uplift has been a lifestyle throughout my life. Therefore, being the Director of Black Nonbelievers of DC was a natural outgrowth of previous work and identity. And it felt authentic...especially as a nonbeliever.

I had heard some “things” here and there; gripes from some people who came and went from the org. Most of those gripes did not check-out and were often framed and viewed as in-fighting by incredible people; other gripes were at worst, unresolved or un-investigable. I focused on my local group and the people within it, and we were good. Overall, I genuinely felt comfortable with the BN landscape and justified my continued work in the org. We did good work I thought; liberation work, Black empowerment work, educational work. That said, I quietly stopped donating to the org around 2019/20-partly because my “donation” was already paid for with my labor (e.g. time, volunteering, attending legislative and interfaith events on Capitol Hill, public organizing, marching in the streets, etc.), but also because deep down inside I started to feel something wasn’t quite right with the management and transparency of the org’s resources. Looking back, that was my mistake.

Still, I continued to work for my local group. Because I took that work SERIOUSLY. I still enjoy(ed) our fellowship, the “work” and the overall sense of affirmation, belonging and “wind at my back” that came from an established platform like BN. Our work was noble, empowering and it made my own conversations about non-belief with my family and outsiders easier to have than they would have been if I were just a lone Black atheist ranting about atheism and church/state separation.

So I stayed.

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Given all that, one could understand why after over 10 years of membership and 5 years of being an “Affiliate Director” within this organization, I was devastated to learn that people were in fact, demonstrably being harmed within the fellowship. Black Nonbelievers, it came to my attention this December by Mandisa Thomas herself, was actively being corrupted by its own head of leadership-in a deliberate and unconscionable way-routinely, for personal gain.

As I have learned from December 2022 until (literally) yesterday (1/16/23), the “goings-on” behind the scenes with BN founder and president Mrs. Thomas are of an unacceptable nature and magnitude. They are not merely incidental or “personal”. They are systemic and they are long-standing.

Excerpted from the preliminary findings of the BNDC Incident Report (Dec 2022):

I attest to the following:

That all six (6) organizers during our initial investigative process agreed Mrs. Mandisa Thomas’s alleged behaviors were credible in their claims, and valid and unacceptable for the organization going forward. To varying degrees, myself along with all six organizers were witnesses-to these behaviors and/or personally informed of them by Mrs. Thomas herself. Furthermore, that following the departure of five (5) organizers, I continued our investigation of Mrs. Mandisa Thomas to verify warrant for our decision(s).

Regarding Black Nonbelievers of DC (BNDC), these and other related claims, the following actions are credible and made demonstrable. That Mrs. Mandisa Thomas:

Routinely blurred personal and professional lines with both organizers and members concerning detailed sexual histories.

Promoted consensual sexual interaction(s) of two or more members at official events (e.g. BNSeaCon).

Misappropriated organizational resources to facilitate or engage in consensual interactions with BN member(s).

Manipulated key narratives to gain loyalties and leverage collegial support for desired personal outcome(s) among members and organizers.

Arbitrarily expelled members from the organization and its events without board or leadership review.

Arbitrarily expelled members from the organization and events without board or leadership review due to private sexual and/or romantic dynamics.

Provided “a safe and nurturing space for Black people without faith and leaving religion” contingent upon adherence to romantic dynamics favorable to Mrs. Thomas.

Neglected to publish or implement quarterly reviews of organizational health and sustainability for BNDC affiliate members and organizers.

Neglected publishing or implementing method(s) of impartial review for grievances among leaders and members.

Neglected publishing or implementing means of financial transparency and review to board or organizers.

Failing to heed advice from organizers regarding public confrontation of BN member(s) and associates on private relationships between Mrs. Thomas and a BN member.

Regarding acts, these conclusions implicate Mrs. Thomas’ indiscretions of a personal or intimate nature with (1) members (2) organizers and (3) associates, regarding (4) multiple incidents of mismanagement. These conclusions also suggest a convergence of these relationships with official BN resources used to facilitate them. In other instances, a separate but not necessarily unrelated pattern of secret expulsion from BN portrays a (5) lack of institutional safeguards and review processes for Black Nonbelievers and by extension, Black Nonbelievers of DC. These incidents-combined with an absence of transparency of resources and financial reporting for the organization and/or its affiliates merit both my departure and this report.

-Danile (”Ro”) // BNDC Affiliate Director 2017-2022 // BN Member 2011-2022

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There are receipts. Sadly, they keep coming.

Also excerpted from the BNDC Incident Report (re: “Supporting Documents, Item No.4″)

I will not stand by -nor- stand for an organization with this brand of leadership and abuse of power. And any movement of fellow advocates, personalities and organizations that would platform or, stand-by a leader like this and deliberately choose not to publicly scrutinize these claims with haste is highly suspect of perpetuating the exact same type of malfeasance, hypocrisy and systemic rot that it seeks to publicly oppose in churches, mosques and other problematic institutions.

_________

I like ‘people work’. And as noted, my professional history of working-with and helping people dates back over thirty years. Surely, people will make mistakes; institutions will have to be checked; programs need to be evaluated and systems need regulation. But to write off these claims, as many have done (and others seem to be doing) is more than troubling inside a movement self-identified by “humanism” and higher ethics...which is what the atheist movement at large proudly claims to be doing. Furthermore, shrugging off these accounts in service of ((__insert favorite celebrity here__)) for fear of dissent, cult following and public regard, racial scarcity or “cultural diversity” bona fides is well...gross and disgusting.

Most importantly, to assemble unassuming people and White allies around you as a defense shield against claims by fellow Black people in a credible, ongoing ethics investigation whilst Black people are left victimized by your trauma is to do the exact opposite of the “Black liberation” and “empowerment” work Black Nonbelievers was founded to perform.

But...it is exactly the reason why I, and nearly all other BN affiliate directors resigned and wrote this incident report(s). Even as atheists. Especially as Black Atheists.

We dissent.

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theshedding · 1 year

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Selfies on the sea 🌊 . Tomorrow I will be returning to the island I never made it back to eight years ago due to unforeseen circumstances that nearly took me out. I’ll get to visit someone who helped me & my fam out during that difficult time. Looking forward to it. _________________ #BNSeaCon2022 #Caribeño #Growth https://www.instagram.com/p/CliWeAsu8-O/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#bnseacon2022 #caribeño #growth

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theshedding · 1 year

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#FBF This pic was taken long ago that I still had a Hotmail account. ✨🥹✨ Patreon.com/Rogiers1 ___________ #rogiérs #RogiérsFibby #FibbyMusic (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClHQUQduKXj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#fbf #rogiérs #rogiérsfibby #fibbymusic

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theshedding · 1 year

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Some pics from San Antonio, TX where I was recently working & debuting a brand new project with Dan Barker and the #FFRF. We had a great time ⭐️, the crowd absolutely loved it and I got to stop by the Alamo! 🙌🏿 _____________________ #Rogiérs #RogiérsFibby #FibbyMusic #GodlessGospel #topbilling #vocaldirector #Freethought #vocalist #VocalDirector #wherewereheaded #liveperformances #onstage (at San Antonio, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkuIIPPM6Ap/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#ffrf #rogiérs #rogiérsfibby #fibbymusic #godlessgospel #topbilling #vocaldirector #freethought #vocalist #wherewereheaded #liveperformances #onstage

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theshedding · 1 year

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#FBF❤️ I lost a “friend” after posting this back in 2010 on a hot summer’s night. It was the first of a few moments that would come to characterize that decade…losing “friends”. Disagreeing is ok…as long as it’s substantiated, well-reasoned and in good faith. But insulting and offending people just because you view yourself as superior to someone will never be acceptable. I’m glad I stood my ground, asked for “receipts” and bounced when they couldn’t produce any. This picture still stands…and so do I. ✨🙌🏿✨🙌🏿✨ ______________ #selfcare #autonomous #locstyles #blackmen #artist #fridayvibes https://www.instagram.com/p/CkjdUovvug-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#fbf❤️#selfcare #autonomous #locstyles #blackmen #artist #fridayvibes

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theshedding · 2 years

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On Hurricane Ian:

Is it me or is the tone of the ongoing coverage of people who lost their boats, vacation homes and favorite restaurants in Florida a bit "skewed"? When hurricanes and mudslides in the US Caribbean and Latin America happen coverage hits 'different'...as if deserve we/they deserve less regard and nuance in storytelling. A lack of history, inquiry and deference to leaders callously throwing paper towels at victims, grandstanding about lazy, undeserving brown people, etc. are considered tolerable and acceptable lines for the media to transmit worldwide. I even recall with Hurricane Maria how Chump boldly refused temporary visas for homeless Bahamians, citing them all being "criminals" (these are the same criminals that wait on American tourists hand & foot when they go on "Caribbean vacations" in their resorts)...and the news reported it as if it was all valid...because "both sides" journalism.

Now that the catastrophe is stateside and equally rendered many Floridians homeless, covering the grief and losses of affluent white communities with sensitivity and nuance is a noticeable preoccupation, by contrast. No poverty-porn style reporting angles as with Puerto Rico, Bahamas, USVI but the: "look at all the grand possessions these unsuspecting White people in Florida have lost" media angle. It seems apparent in every interview, and with whom is being interviewed.

To be sure, I do not rejoice in suffering and loss. I am calling out however, that there's a "tone" that comes through this coverage, and a noticeable loss of irony. I wonder about the losses of people who didn't own vacation homes at the shoreline, boats in the marina, or the cooks & employees of the restaurants that were demolished. What about covering their stories with the same proportion, compassion and nuance?

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theshedding · 2 years

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So I basically have my mother’s whole face 😆. _________________ #Afro #flashbackfriday❤️ #phenotype https://www.instagram.com/p/Cilt8P0Ml9Y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#afro #flashbackfriday❤️#phenotype

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theshedding · 2 years

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Behind the Music: “Messed Up On Love”

It’s been ten years and I’m ready to tell this story.

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(5min read 📖 )

My very FIRST EVER MUSIC VIDEO was filmed ten years ago in Brooklyn, NYC. That makes this a 10-year anniversary post and I’m celebrating the milestone because it is, a milestone. Co-produced with my brother/long-time friend/colleague David Hunter, “Messed Up On Love” represented both the capstone to a very personal work of transformation and a departure from the so-called #NeoSoul #RnB box I found myself in following my debut project. It also represented a bold move to write & sing the kind of work that frankly, most Black recording artists are not permitted to engage with by industry standards. MUOL was a true R&B/Pop power ballad with simplicity, large, building crescendos and soaring vocals along the lines of Beyonce’s “Smash Into You” (among other songs). We were all shooting for the moon with this record. It was written to be a “hit”, sounds like one and to this day, I remain prouder of this single than anything else I have written because of the lyrics, production and overall spirit poured into it by us all. As the first release of my sophomore album #theShedding “Messed Up on Love” would surely be a “hit”, supported by all and go the distance at radio and on select video networks. Or so I thought.

I started with a big push from an independent arts collective, A&R and even some "industry" people. Hopes were high and the development process was great; it was sacred, healing and renewing. We talked, laughed, cried and planned our collective success with the hope of this song. It was just that powerful of a song! Surely the video for it had to be EPIC! We all shared the big plans and expectations for MUOL -and- the entire album. We had multiple production meetings and planned to shoot MUOL by August. We started a little rocky and almost got through the first scene’s shoot without any problems. But one by one, things started to break down; the first cameraman brought the wrong type of camera to the shoot (e.g. technical specs), our lead actress suddenly pulled out of a scene ON-THE-SET, a caterer and former friend suddenly got jealous of the lead actress (my girlfriend at the time) and stormed off the set enraged, then later showed up at another location, interrupted the shoot and had to be personally asked to leave. The MUOL video seemed to be hanging on by a thread.

That September, following the video shoot, I left NYC with the new album recorded (but not yet edited) to move to Spain and begin graduate school. There I *re-recorded* the MUOL to correct some audio issues, focused on school and began the mixing/mastering/editing process remotely with my team back in NYC. It took some time but after more than a year, my label was ready to launch the single with the help of some auxiliary promotional partners. The single debuted on #VEVO in the fall of 2013. It clocked 15K views in the first weeks however the misfortunes seemed to endure and MUOL had to be RE-launched a few weeks later due to platform glitches. I and my team did what we could to self-promote the long-awaited project. But at some point I realized the momentum, hope and promise everyone had showed in August of 2012 had all but evaporated and I was somehow on my own, despite having the “teammates” and fellowship of the creative process. To this day, all but three (3) people from the video shoot/ creative team and inner circle of talent/production even bothered to “share” the official video release in their social media...let alone respond to my e-mail asking for support on the work WE DID TOGETHER. Even the video's director never helped publicize the work. My only suspicion is that they just weren’t proud of it, or didn’t care anymore.

We (my label FMG) hired radio & video promotions director-someone who would shepherd the record to previously agreed-upon channels and outlets for radio, target audience growth and visibility. We spent thousands (more) on this effort, but despite conversation, strategizing, talk and promises, the third party delivered about 1/10th of the campaign we paid their team to perform. Later, when I inquired about the other missing 9/10th's of campaign results, I was told over the phone that he could “do more” with just another payment of $5-7K -and- that there was "some guy shooting a commercial that loves the song" and he could "put me in touch with him" if we just decided to execute another paid promotional campaign with their firm.With the exception of random, occasional “likes” on FB, I never heard back from him (or them).

Ultimately, “Messed Up On Love” did have some highlights-it’s video reached at least 23,000 views and (ironically) my promotional partners, independent DJ’s and radio stations in the R&B/Neo-Soul/Hip-Hop and House/Soulful-House music world showed up for the album and helped me reach audiences far and wide. But I'll never quite understand any of the reticence of people in my own crew to life a g*d-damned finger to promote work they were intimately, and creatively involved in. I’ll also never quite understand people posing as industry “influencers” who make it their business to ‘gas’ and prey on independent artists, already struggling to release and publicize their works-and charge them exorbitant amounts do the bare minimum work, whilst offering 0% accountability…only to ask those same artists for more $$$.

All is not lost though. I have had the fortune to travel and tour with “Messed Up On Love”, performing it for audiences all around the United States, United Kingdom, Spain while on tour by myself and with the “Rogiérs Fibby Trio”. We have created beautiful arrangements and renditions of the song and I will always remember the opportunities this song has afforded me. I also am reminded of the critical divide to success that persists in the music business when it comes to genre-bending creativity, usually reserved for White Pop and crossover artists. It remains true that Black (and queer) artist like myself just cannot sing/record the same kind of music as White (or White adjacent) artists and receive the same acclaim, radio play or visibility, no matter who is behind your product development and promotion. This includes Black industry people as well…particularly in the “independent” realm.

This is just one of MANY stories I could tell. I have sat with this for ten years. Sure the video had some limitations (e.g. budget, location, technical equipment), but the song has HEART. And the effort was filled with investments of LOVE and PROMISE. I have said nothing all these years; I don’t owe anyone my secrecy about any of these events.

It’s been 10 years and while I will forever feel cheated by many of the people around me in this release; sabotaged even, I write this so that I can release it from me. I learned (again) to conserve my artistic and creative energy for my own good and my own pockets. But MUOL *still* kicks ASS and has reached people worldwide on stages and in countries that I never imagined it would, despite the disgraceful, failed promises and broken fellowship. So for that, I am grateful.

Happy 10th “Messed Up On Love!”

_________________________________

READ MORE & become a SUBSCRIBER at Patreon.com/Rogiers1

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theshedding · 2 years

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Hanging out in NYC with the fellas one night in my 20’s. Looks like we were enjoying life. 😂🪁 ________________ #FlashbackFriday #blackboyjoy✨ (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChdOurIAed_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#flashbackfriday #blackboyjoy✨

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theshedding · 2 years

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Hadn't shared this one before but 2021 produced this highlight of a release on IRMA Records Group with "Get Free", a collaboration with @fromp60 ✨ Been on more than a few records over the years-but this one is double-sided vinyl, CD & for online download. Check it out plus our new collab “Don’t be Like Me” out now! ✨ _____ #RogiérsFibby #Rogiers #DeepHouse #soulfulhousemusic #houseartist #FibbyMusic https://www.instagram.com/p/CfxTK47M5HN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#rogiérsfibby #rogiers #deephouse #soulfulhousemusic #houseartist #fibbymusic

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theshedding · 2 years

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The Pew Research Center confirms a trend nearly every US survey conducted over the last twenty-five years has shown: the remarkable decline in religiosity and deference to religious institutions and dogma within American society. Black Americans (despite a much slower decline) are no different.

I am an artist first. A singer-songwriter, musician, arranger and producer. But I am also a humanist; a critical thinker, self-identified with the tradition of revolutionary Black Freethinkers and powerhouses before me from Makandal to Frederick Douglass, Hubert Harrison, Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin, Sikivu Hutchinson and so many more.

I lend my voice to this cause blending artistry and activism. World history, US history and my personal history demands this. And while I have been called every name in the book by many of my fellow Black Americans, their misunderstandings, bigotry and ignorance cannot be my preoccupation. I speak with the same voice of resistance as the ancestors previously mentioned; the ancestors that helped bind the hands of the oppressor and gain liberation for ourselves and our families. I speak with a prophetic voice, not borne of superstition but of the realization of what current circumstances, trends and history predict vis-a-vis demonstrable facts and precedents. Black History is alive and well within me and I will always be proud of standing up for myself and the dignity of reason, autonomy and ethics. For these things, as well as my art, will be my legacy.

_____________________ -Rogiérs 🎵 www.FibbyMusic.net

Host, Where We’re Headed, Podcast wwh.podbean.com

Director, Black Nonbelievers of DC www.Facebook.com/BNofDC

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