The Key to Correcting Social Injustice
Social justice focuses on justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. Social justice emphasizes diversity and equality in society. Having more equality and diversity is good because it promotes opportunity, growth, and social well-being. Social justice themes are not just in the news and online posts, but they are found in songs.
Music has always influenced people in a unique way; it connects with emotions and thoughts. It can move people to think differently about something and act on it. Social justice themes can be found in today’s songs as well as songs that were written a few decades ago.
The Black Eyed Peas is a hip-hop group that mixes gangster style with peace-minded and social justice lyrics. The Black Eyed Peas expose social injustice in the song “Where Is the Love?”
In the song, multiple social justice issues are addressed, such as racism, materialism, terrorism, gang crime, gun violence, and pollution. The inspiration for this song by The Black Eyed Peas came from traumatic events, but the song says love will find a way to bring healing and wholeness to society.
The year 2003 was a year of great unrest in America. America was recovering from the 9/11 terrorist attacks and had invaded Iraq after major military operations in Afghanistan, so it was a dramatic period to live, with many problems and situations that called for action. Black Eyed Peas singer, Will.i.am, began writing the song a few days after the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Even though “Where Is The Love?” was originally written in response to the 9/11 attacks, the band remade the song in 2016 to bring more attention to gun violence, in response to more terror attacks, the ongoing crisis in Syria, police shootings of black men, and the ambush killings of five police officers in Dallas. Will.i.am said, “I remember when the attack in Paris happened, people would say ‘We need “Where Is The Love?” again’... And then Belgium happened, and then Turkey, and then Orlando, and then Philando, and then Alton, and then Dallas. Everyone was calling on us like, ‘We need that song again.”
The 2016 remix features a new arrangement and melody with many popular singers, including Jamie Foxx, Nicole Scherzinger, Taye Diggs, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Jessie J, Andra Day, Wiz Khalifa, and Usher. The famous chorus remains the same and the message, while updated to reflect current situations, still addresses the same issues in society.
The message of “Where Is the Love?” is that love is the answer to all social justice issues. Along with love, the values of fairness, equality, understanding, and unity are important. This song provides an outlet to express the frustration and grief people feel towards the destructive influences surrounding them. Throughout the song, solutions for social injustice are given. Divine guidance is one answer: “Father, father, father, help us send some guidance from above.” Actions the listener can take are provided: “Take control of your mind and just meditate And let your soul just gravitate To the love, so the whole world celebrates it.” The lyrics are direct in stating the answer to society’s problems:
“Love is the key Love is the answer Love is the solution.”
Although The Black Eyed Peas say that love is the hope for straightening out society, they cast doubt about whether such love can even be found. The song ends with a statement that, being quick to judge, having animosity, and lacking understanding, are leading people away from unity. This suggests that society is far from finding love and fixing its social justice issues. It leaves the listener wondering if people can find this love that is lost. Still, by asking the question “Where’s the love?” 30 times, the lyrics challenge the listener to look for ways to demonstrate love in their everyday life, especially to people who are different from them.
