TUNES // Jelani Sei – Queens

Post by Misha

Yes, #MeToo.
But guys, is it that you really don’t know that nearly all of your female friends have been harassed or assaulted by men? Really?
Because I feel like we’ve been waving our hands in front of your faces for like, all the years since puberty. You’re just super good at listening while looking past us. Men have almost always been around when I’ve been harassed, but never once has one intervened to help.
Is is that you don’t know, or is it just uncomfortable to confront the second part of this truth: every woman you know has been harassed or assaulted, and you know the men who did it. They’re people you went to school with, work with, see at the gym, and talk to every day. And they’re your responsibility.
There are concrete ways you can help beyond being a sympathetic listener after the danger has already passed. You can talk to these men. You can learn how to safely intervene. You can police your friends and your sons and yourselves. Know that we were all raised in a culture where rape and sexual violence are normalized, and that some of the behaviors that may seem normal to you make women afraid for their safety. Know that for women, feeling afraid for our safety is normal. Educate yourself. Do it today.
Yes, you too.

Jelani Sei is a five piece from Connecticut. Their EP is titled LVNDR TWN, a reference to the city in the Pokemon universe where dead Pokémon gather and become angry at the state of the world. Vocalist Kayana Guity elaborates on the significance of the name in an interview with The Alternative, “We’ve just become aware. We’re now aware of it, this is the world that we’re living in.” The EP floats effortlessly from jazz to RnB and back into a fuzzy rock n roll, music for the compelled. Buy it here.