In her speech, she cited statistics from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism study of Grammy nominees. “Of almost 3,000 pop songwriters credited last year only 12% were female, only 3% of the engineers were female, and one of them is Ann [Mincieli, Keys’ regular engineer]. Only 2% of producers are female and one of them is me! Our world is 50-50, and it’s time for our industry to reflect that.”

My mama taught me that every year is the year of the woman… but this year is definitely something else. It’s a powerful year, it’s an empowering year, and it’s the beginning of so many things. And many of us in the music world are working more diligently than ever to showcase and support the work of female songwriters, musicians, engineers, and producers.

Keys went on to talk about the Time’s Up movement as well as the gender pay gap. “We deserve the utmost respect, and so many of these women across industries are telling our culture that time is up on double standards.” She further stated, “and it is over for pay inequity and colleagues who are at best disrespectful and at the worst unsafe – so it’s over for that.”

The singer highlighted the importance of diversity and women of color in the music industry. “Songwriters tell our stories, they sing who we are as people — don’t we all want to hear from all of us? My ancestors’ spiritual songs told their stories and gave them strength, and we’re all stronger because of it.” Keys named some of her influences, such as Joan Baez, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin. Contemporary female artists of color  such, as Janelle Monáe, SZA, Solange and Mary J. Blige were also mentioned.

The singer concluded by saying: “We were told we need to step up. Well, you feel that step up now?”

We over at QM definitely feel that step up and are ecstatic about this new movement. The singer has shown that not only is she famous for being incredibly talented, she cares for the rights of  people of colour as well as those of women and we couldn’t be more proud that she’s utilising her platform for good.

In the photos, the couple channel a popular photo of Kathleen Cleaver and her former husband, the late Eldridge Cleaver, made in 1970 when both were leaders in the Black Panther Party. In the photograph, Kathleen, now a law professor and also a friend of the foundation, wears her hair in a beautiful afro; and both exhibit the elegance and strength that the Deans embody.

In the interview, they speak about their seven year marriage and how they maintain balance.

“We’ve been married seven years and we don’t fight, we don’t raise our voices, it’s all about communication.”

Dean openly admits his faults in the past, speaking on his previous marriage, and mentions that it has taught him a few lessons such as the importance of individuality in marriage and coming together as wholesome individuals that complement each other.

“We always talk about how we don’t own each other. She owns herself, I own myself, but we come together and have this amazing family. We established that early, both coming out of long relationships. We knew what had worked in our past relationships and what hadn’t. We came to the table a little knowledgeable for this round.”

The mutliple Grammy-award winning couple also spoke about their latest investment – a photography exhibition featuring the works of people of colour. The first exhibition is set to take place in Harvard in the spring. Entitled, The Dean Collection,  it continues to collect works of artists from diverse backgrounds, but its strongest interest is artists of color, globally. Recent acquisitions include works by Nina Chanel Abney, Dr. Esther Mahlangu, Sanlé Sory, Omar Victor Diop, and more.

“The collection started not just because we’re art lovers, but also because there’s not enough people of color collecting artists of color,” Dean says. “We don’t own enough of our culture. So we want to lead the pack in owning our own culture and owning our own narrative instead of waiting for someone who’s not part of the culture to tell our story for us.”

It’s clear to see that these two are redefining black love and culture all at the same time. A refreshing blend in a time where there isn’t as much positivity and investment in the black community going around.

While some celebs allege that slavery was a choice, we’re totally for this agenda. It’s a welcome break.

Photo Credit: Cultured