One of the reasons the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has been re-watched so many times is the music and one of the favorite pieces of music was The Kingdom Choir’s rendition of “Stand By Me.” That song resonated with so many of us not only because of the stirring rendition but because of its lyrics and because of its history. As Alan Connor of BBC News wrote, while “Stand By Me” may, on the surface, seem like just a love song, it was born out of the Black gospel music tradition and became a civil rights anthem.
I invite us all to spend some time listening to “Stand By Me.” Its lyrics contain so many lessons about love, sisterhood, unity, and allyship—lessons about how we each draw strength from our Creator and from one another. These lessons will stand us in good stead as we work together in the area of social justice. We just have to be willing to listen and to learn. Then, we each have to answer the call when our loved one, our friend, our colleague, or our fellow warrior says to us “[s]tand by me.”