Bad Bunny is Not Alone

The Arts are Showing Up—and That Really Matters

You don’t have to like reggaeton or know Spanish to appreciate the two core messages Bad Bunny put out in the Superbowl’s half-time show: “The Only Thing More Powerful than Hate is Love” and (printed on a football) “Together We Are America.” For me personally, and for many Latinos in the US, it was also moving to see Latin music get such a big platform, as well as in Bad Bunny’s Grammy Album of the Year Award. Especially at a time when our country’s political leadership continuously promotes division and exclusion—and when even the Supreme Court has recently ruled that our appearance and use of language can be a basis for a stop (if you’re not familiar with Kavanaugh stops, please give this a read)—we need more of that love, inclusion, and unity.

Fortunately, Bad Bunny is not alone. Artists (and Olympic athletes) are increasingly using art and their platforms to speak to the rising authoritarianism and brutality in this country.

Just two weeks ago, Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis” powerfully honored the “two dead, left to die on snow-filled streets, Alex Pretti and Renee Good.” Country artist Zach Bryan had previously written about ICE brutality, and multiple artists, including Billie Eilish, wore “ICE Out” pins to the recent Grammy Awards. Earlier on, country star Tim Grimm’s performance of “Broken Truth” in a Texas bar went viral, and Jesse Welles and Joan Baez collaborated on an anthem—also grounded in messaging about love—for the “No Kings” protests.

There are also the many, many artists, from Rhiannon Giddens to the touring production of “Hamilton”, Philip Glass, and the Washington National Opera, among others, who in the last couple of months refused to perform at the Kennedy Center in protest of President Trump’s decision to slap his name on this historic institution. Miffed, Trump has decided to shut down the Kennedy Center for two years for “renovations.”

And then there are the comedians, from South Park to Trevor Noah, who have been speaking out for a long time, despite threats of censorship, the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show, and the attempted cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel that ultimately failed after millions cancelled their Disney subscriptions.

That doesn’t mean they (or we) are all on the same page on all issues. But rejecting repression, censorship, and inhumanity is something that Americans of all political stripes should–and increasingly are–agreeing on.

This is powerful stuff, and it matters. Artists are channeling not only their own but many others’ feelings about what is happening to the country.

It also takes courage. Too many elite institutions, from law firms to universities to business leaders, have caved into (or gladly participated in) authoritarian and corrupt practices, in the last year. But the artists who are speaking out are showing courage—in some cases, like the artists canceling Kennedy Center performances, no doubt losing revenue. And that’s galvanizing for the growing numbers of ordinary Americans from Minneapolis to Tucson, Maine and Texas, and beyond who have also been standing up.

After all, as Latinos often say, “No se puede tapar el sol con las manos”--”You can’t cover the sun with your hands.”

Political leaders, including members of Congress, would be wise to pay attention to what American people, including growing numbers of artists, are saying.

And let’s all take a page from the artists and speak out.

P.s. If like me, you’re not really into reggaeton but like more acoustic vibes, check out Bad Bunny’s Tiny Desk concert.