Solange’s Sanctuary: A Seat at the Table: Mental Health Resource for Black Individuals

          On September 30, 2016, Solange released her most commercially and culturally successful album, A Seat at the Table. 2016 was marked by a highly charged presidential election, persistent racial disparity in deaths at the hands of police officers, and civil unrest. This caused an increase in discussions about what it means to be unapologetically Black. These discussions became important because just living as a Black person was inherently political and interpreted as a threat to the dominant culture. Moving forward required Black people to realize that it wasn’t enough just to be Black; one had to be a purposeful Black person. The ethos of intentional Blackness is present throughout A Seat at the Table. The 21-track album serves as a meditation on being Black in America while being emotionally expansive enough to move beyond pain and trauma. Solange offers solutions on how to heal by emphasizing that there is hope and happiness in claiming your space, whether it be physical or emotional.  A Seat at the Table is a valuable and accessible mental health resource for Black individuals.  With each listen, listeners who were once stressed can develop enough introspection to release whatever is holding them back. 

          Upon the album’s opening track, “Rise”,  listeners are placed on the pathway to peace. Solange opens the song by encouraging listeners to “fall in your ways, so you won’t crumble [...] so you can sleep at night” (Solange 0:11). These lyrics encourage listeners to stick to who they are, and if so, they will remain strong even when life gets hard. This is an important message for Black listeners who were heavily scrutinized purely based on race.  This line acts as Solange’s way of opening a transcendent sanctuary of Blackness. In the context of the church, “opening the sanctuary” refers to making the church building available for people seeking asylum. Solange mirrors this gesture through her music by creating a space where Black people can finally find a haven. By making the opening track the literal opening of her sanctuary, Solange can showcase her intentionality as a Black person and an artist. Historically, Black sanctuaries provided physical safety and environments for Black activism where voices could be raised against oppression. Being able to trace such historically dense material to the first few seconds of the opening song shows how rooted Solange was in her creation process. It is instantly made clear that A Seat at the Table is a safe zone where Black people can turn to find safety in being Black. The song titled “F.U.B.U.” (For Us By Us) works to advance the idea of finding refuge for the Black identity. When Solange says, “You’re criminal just who you are” (1:24), that is a clear call to the selective prosecution of Black people. This sentiment is followed up with, “Made this song to make it all y’all’s turn” (Solange 2:08), showcasing that Solange is ready to move beyond pain and trauma and is eager to start equipping people with tools of resistance. By explicitly stating that this song (and overall album) was made for every Black person to feel like they’ve had their turn, Solange makes it clear that hope and happiness can be found in creating and claiming your own spaces. Solange calls to anyone with these feelings and lets them know they are not alone. In doing so, she allows them to complete the first step of healing—acknowledging the presence of pain.  Once a group of listeners is conscious that being Black is often a point of persecution, they can overcome these feelings together. 

          Charlice Hurst attests to Solange’s ability to effectively create a sense of togetherness in her reflection, For Us By Us: A Very Personal Set of Reflections on A Seat at the Table and Not at All an Album Review. Hurst discusses how Solange’s creation of safe black spaces allows for internal healing. The pain felt on the individual level can be turned into purpose by the larger community. Solange’s album has a familiar feeling of “[...] calling a friend to talk about the personal and the political and how they are all woven together for Black [people] in a very particular way that is hard to convey to anyone” (Hurst). The fact that one's listening experience was profound enough for them to reflect on how they navigate varying systems of oppression and proceed to have open conversations about these feelings reflects one of the strengths of A Seat at the Table. This strength relies on the fact that feelings are not separated from politics, and people often find themselves unpacking the intersection between the two. This can be a highly validating experience for Black people since Black people themselves are viewed as disposable, and the emotions of Black people have rarely ever been deemed worthy of consideration. Creating environments where Black people can process and express their emotions without repression is another way Solange can heal her listeners. Through this, the Black identity is not just affirmed but nurtured. Hurst also attests to the fact that Solange establishes a sustainable model for healing since she “[...] looks back at the community and affirms [her] bond with us” (Hurst). This quote highlights Solange’s ability to recognize that the healing process is collective. Solange uses her platform to help Black people cope with the ancestral trauma that may manifest in their everyday lives, cementing A Seat at the Table’s place as a mental health resource. The healing that Solange works towards is not a “one and done” model, but rather a functional blueprint that builds bridges to help people overcome hardship. 

          The longevity of A Seat at the Table is also what makes this album so accessible and adaptable. In Solange, Visual Albums, and Black Representation, Paris Vincent details how Solange’s album is a listening and visual experience that contributes to the longstanding relationship between “[...] visuals and music being utilized together to communicate Black identity.”  This passage communicates the message that visuals have always been as important as the music content when it comes to conveying ideas about the Black identity. This is typically because people want to see something in addition to hearing it. Visuals allow people to delve deeper into the creative experience because you transition from just a listener to a streamer, viewer, etc. A Seat at the Table's status as a visual album only attests to Solange’s ability to effectively communicate her message and redefine what it means to create. Solange is seen “taking advantage of the ability to circulate [ASATT] as music videos to bring those outside of this specific community into a space that is 'unashamedly Black.’” (Vincent). This quote shows Solange’s efforts to extend her healing efforts outside of the Black community. This is not to say that she is hoping for the message of her work to resonate with others similarly, but Solange’s methods would’ve been ineffective if she tasked Black people with sulking in their emotions while others got to live in oblivion. The words of Solange’s songs may only make sense to some, but seeing an image gives meaning to something that someone might not have even known was there or can prevent the misinterpretation of words altogether. For instance, the music video that accompanies the song “Don’t Touch My Hair” is upbeat with bright colors and high-energy dancers. However, when Solange boldly says, “Don’t touch my hair” (0:03), someone can falsely assume that Solange was coming from a place of anger. This shows that visual albums help to make the artist's message clearer and accessible to different audiences. For Solange, resolving Black mental health is a two-way street: Black people get to exist peacefully and take time to unpack, while non-Black people take the time to understand where they are coming from while being considerate and not ignorant. 

          Solange’s album, A Seat at the Table, is a transcendent sanctuary of Blackness that aims to make the world a place of understanding. In her approach, Solange prioritizes Black people and lets them know that it is normal to unpack whatever feelings they may be hiding beneath the surface. Solange also aims to create a larger community that is capable of discussing their feelings as they emerge. Solange acknowledges that the ancestral trauma manifests in our everyday lives and how the lives of Black people have been made harder systematically because of this, but Solange does not want us to become defined by our oppression. That is because it is more debilitating than progressive, and also because Black people should not have to undo the work of their oppressors. Behind Solange’s blunt personal statements and the jazzy funk elements of the album is the idea that solidarity can be found amidst the storm. By the end of A Seat at the Table, Solange creates a universe where young Black people are at rest and get to leave behind a world where they may not know what life asks of them. Listeners learn they reserve the right to be mad, hold onto hope, make new tables, or sit at one another's.