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Amy Yang

Mrs. Honaker

AP/Dual English 12

12 May 2017

We Are Here in Todays World

The world today is filled problems that are causing divides in humanity. Recently, the

world has been in strife but, artists such as Alicia Keys are using music as a platform to express

their opinions to bring the world and its people back together. Written in 2014, We Are Here is

a song about the current issues present in the world. Although the song was writing three years

ago, many of the same problems are still prevalent and can be an emblem of the world of this

generation. In the song, Keys sings about foreign affairs in the Middle East and Africa, crime in

urban American cities, and social rights for single mothers and education while reinforcing the

idea that to fix these problems, people must come together and love each other.

Much of the song lyrics deal with issues and acts of violence in foreign countries. In the

first verse, Keys mentions bombs over Baghdad (Alicia Keys We). The internal conflict

within Iraq has lasted over a decade beginning when the United States and United Kingdom

removed Saddam Hussein from power in 2003. Since then, the two sects of Iraq have been

fighting for control, causing mass destruction and bombings in the country (Guide: Whats

Happening...). This war in the Middle East has been an ongoing conflict of this generation since

the falling of the Twin Towers on September 9, 2001 and is still continuing as people are still

being killed by bombs in the country. In addition, Keys mentions the Gaza-Israel conflict. This

conflict was initiated when three Israeli boys were kidnapped on the West Bank and killed

(Everything You Need). With her song, Keys hopes that people will realize the terrible acts
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that occur in the world and that people will come together to overcome the hatred and cruelty.

The last foreign affair Keys touches on in her song is the kidnapping incident in Nigeria on April

14, 2014. In Chibok, 276 girls were kidnapped by the militant Islamic group Boko Haram. This

spurred a huge social media campaign with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls (Nigeria Chibok

Abductions). With the mass hysteria going on in the world, Keys is still hopeful as she

believes our souls are brought together/so we could love each other (Alicia Keys - We).

The examples that Keys provides in her song can be used to represent the terrorism that has

become part of this generation.

The second verse in Keys song is primarily problems in our country such as crime. Keys

mentions Chi-town referring to Chicago, a city with a high crime rate and where deaths are

recorded daily. While reports say that Chicago is not actually a violent city based on murders by

population, the city is hugely segregated into sections that have a relatively low crime rate and an

extremely high one (Berlatsky). In his article, Berlatsky mentions that the increase in security in

parts of Chicago seem to give a false sense of security to white people, and act as a threat to

POC [people of color] who live in the area" (Berlatsky). This issue that Berlatsky discussed in

2013 has become an even greater issue today as there have been multiple incidents of innocent

young black men being assaulted by the police because of their skin color, starting Black Lives

Matter campaign. In addition, Harlem is mentioned in the song. While New York City is known

to have the strictest gun control laws, East Harlem still experiences a large amount of violent

crimes due to illegal guns entering the city. According to the NY Daily News, the NYPD is in

an all-out battle with illegal guns and all of us are losing (Cuestas, Parascandola & Moore).

The crime rate in the city has increased significantly from 2014 to 2015 with a 19.5% increase in

homicides and of the murder victims, 72% died of gun violence (Cuestas, Parascandola &
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Moore). This evidence supports Keys lyric no guns made in Harlem yet crime is a problem

(Alicia Keys - We). To this day, the government and citizens have differing views on gun

control laws. This is one of the biggest controversial topics of this generation and will continue

as people are still dying from gun violence.

Lastly, Keys discusses social issues in her song such as the increase in the number of

single mothers and the lack of educational support in our society. The 2016 Census Bureau

recorded that the second most common household living situation for children under the age of

18 is living with a single mother at 23%. It also found that the percentage of children living in

families with two parents decreased from 88 to 69 (The Majority of Children). Keys lyrics

are supported by this evidence that more and more mothers are becoming single. Single parent

households can be very stressful for both the children and adults. A single mother must be

responsible for her children, her job, and all other household chores while having possible

financial issues. In addition, the breakup and new dating life of parents often negatively affect

childrens emotions and hinder their performance in school (Single Parenting and). Over the

past year, feminism has become increasingly popular among women as they fight for Planned

Parenthood funding and abortions rights. This movement is a huge part of todays society and

will continue throughout this generation as women fight for their rights. Education is another

topic Keys refers to in her song with the lyric with no support for education (Alicia Keys

We). With globalization, the workforce of the country is becoming more entrepreneurial.

However, school curriculum isnt designed to teach entrepreneurial skills even though many

children are interested in them. The programs that are meant to teach these skills such as Junior

Achievement are underfunded and difficult to incorporate into current school curriculum

(Gerber). While schools are meant to prepare children for the world after school, many believe
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that the curriculum taught is not sufficient. The debated topics of single mothers and education

rights that Keys mentions in her songs are two issues that represent this generation and the

problems in it.

The song We Are Here by Alicia Keys is a representation of this generation and the

world today. Keys uses the platform of music to reach a broader audience in hopes to bring

attention to the worlds various foreign and national conflicts such as the wars and terrorism acts

in the Middle East, the increasing crime rates in American cities, and the lack of support for

single mothers and education in the United States. In the song, the repetitive statement we are

here is used to tell listeners that humans are on Earth to help resolve these conflicts. Keys song

is a powerful message to the world and the generation that the only way conflicts can be resolved

is by coming together and loving each other.

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Works Cited

Alicia Keys We Are Here. Genius. Genius Media Group Inc., 08 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 May

2017.

Berlatsky, Noah. How Bad is Violence in Chicago? Depends on Your Race. The Atlantic.

Atlantic Media Company, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 May 2017.

Cuestas, Gianluca, Parascandola, Rocco, and Moore, Tina. NYPD Reveals Increase in

Homicides and Gun Violence Across NYC. NY Daily News. NYDailyNews. 01 June

2015. Web. 11 May 2017.

"Everything You Need to Know About the Israel-Gaza Conflict." ABC News. ABC News

Network, 31 July 2014. Web. 10 May 2017.

Gerber, Scott. "Here's the Real Problem With America's Educational System." Time. Time, 2

June 2014. Web. 10 May 2017.

"Guide: What's Happening in Iraq?" BBC News. BBC, 29 Nov. 2016. Web. 10 May 2017.

"Nigeria Chibok Abductions: What We Know." BBC News. BBC, 08 May 2017. Web. 10 May

2017.

Single Parenting and Todays Family. American Psychological Association. American

Psychological Association, n.d. Web. 11 May 2017.

The Majority of Children Live With Two Parents, Census Bureau Reports. The United States

Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce, 17 Nov. 2016. Web. 10 May 2017.