The recent killings of unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement has left me speechless.
It’s been extremely difficult for me to articulate the sadness that I’ve been feeling so I’ve decided to pour my heart into a song.
Rather than immediately react to the explicit acts of state violence, I felt that I needed to spend time remembering why I’m involved in movements for social change.
So I simply decided to spend time holding my baby.
You see, in him I am reminded of the beauty of life and possibilities.
In him, I see the future.
I see a way out of the hatred and bigotry crippling America.
Holding my baby boy reminds me of the dire importance of love during these times of horror and tragedy.
Love for the victims and love for the offenders.
Love for those with hatred in their heart and love for those organizing for a better world.
Love for a country unable to reconcile its brutal legacy of slavery that still lives on today.
So I write, I sing, I turn to art as a way to make sense out of the senseless.
I wrote “Not Coming Home” because I wanted to capture the inhumanity inherent in another unarmed father, son, brother being murdered.
I wanted to remember Eric Garner’s last words and do my part to help heal an America that’s too polarized and too divided.
And I wanted to write a song that spoke to the grief, yet hope for all of us who have lost a loved one to violence.
Mike de la Rocha
Mike de la Rocha is an LA-based musician, entrepreneur and advocate. To find out more about Mike visit www.mikedelarocha.com and follow him on Twitter at @mrmikedelarocha
“Not Coming Home” is available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, Google Play, Beats Music and other online stores.
Proceeds from the sale of “Not Coming Home” are going to the “Fund for the Children of Eric Garner,” a fund created to support the children and grandchildren of Eric Garner. For more info, click here.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
