Devonté Hynes, better known by his stage name, Blood Orange, told the Tumblr-verse he'd be releasing something new this week, and now it's here. Titled "Sandra's Smile," the video and accompanying audio reference Sandra Bland, a 28-year-0ld African-American woman who was taken into to custody for a minor traffic violation, and later died of asphyxiation by hanging. Her death was officially ruled a suicide, leading many to question what actually happened inside of her jail cell.
"Who taught you to breathe, then took away your speech?" Hynes opens, his smooth vocals bolstered by a soulfully melodic, '80s-reminiscent track. The camera follows as he dances, bikes and walks with friends along the streets of New York. Hynes also references Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin whose shooting murder sparked national outrage, and yet more rage when George Zimmerman, the now notorious shooter, was acquitted. "I read Sybrina's quote," Hynes sings, "Why should we forgive? Do we lose if we don't?" Fulton, who was interviewed in August regarding her son's death, admitted she wasn't ready to forgive yet.
Hynes' song effectively connects the experiences of women like Sandra Bland and the still-grieving Sybrina Fulton, whose interactions with the world have been negatively and traumatically impacted by stereotypical assumptions about race. It's a staunchly politicized effort whose most powerful line, "Can you see it in my face? Had enough for today," sums up the collective feeling of pain, anger and helplessness that spring up in the wake of such violent incidents.
