During the historic Women’s March on Washington on January 21, 2020, Puerto Rican singer TAINA ASILI took to the stage in front of approximately one million marchers and shared her timely message in the form of a bilingual track called “No Es Mi Presidente” (Not My President).
Fast forward to March 8th, which marked International Women’s Day. Asili, who has spent a lifetime working in prisons and for gender equality with her band Taina Asili y La Banda Rebelde, capitalized on the moment by dropping the powerful video.
The song incorporates the issues that affect marginalized peoples and women as they strive to survive in Donald Trump’s administration. In the video, she smashes a television inundated with Trump’s images, water, protests, and immigrants getting arrested—all brutally honest snapshots of the current plights of people of color.
He is not my President
He does not represent the voice of my people
If you are with me say “here”
And shout, “He is not my president”
He is not my president
We will organize people like always
Our power is like a current
Shout, “He is not my President”
The video features a television with clips of different scenes that symbolize white supremacy, patriarchy, the desecration of sacred sites, and harm to our earth,” says Asili. “I smash the television as symbolism for smashing these concepts, making way for something new – using all the tools we’ve gathered from our activist movements over the years. I see the work we’re doing now as part of a legacy of resistance.”
Taína Asili is a New York-based Puerto Rican singer, filmmaker, and activist carrying on the tradition of her ancestors, fusing past and present struggles into one soulful and defiant voice. Her music combines powerful vocals that invoke themes of hope and liberation with an energetic fusion of Afro-Latin, Reggae, and Rock. Asili’s music spans continents and exudes strength, inspiring audiences at venues across the globe – From Carnegie Hall to the Women’s March on Washington to the main stage of San Francisco Pride. With an energetic horn section and infectious rhythms, Asili’s music urges people to dance to the rhythms of rebellion. And VOTE, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!
ARTIST WEBSITE http://tainaasili.com
