At the time of this writing, it has been 122 days since #45 has been in the Oval Office. So far, the only thing that Agent Orange has been able to accomplish has been a constant stream of unprecedented f**kery. Oh, and he's emboldened a slew of bigots to think it's open season to be a**holes in public while conservative lawmakers try their damnedest to strip us of our rights. John Legend has been one of the more visible opponents of the Orange Hobgoblin's administration, and his clip for his latest Darkness And Light single "Surefire" illustrates the border-crossing power of love.
The video focuses on Roberto, a Mexican immigrant, and Jamila, a Muslim-American. The two fall in love despite the differences in their cultures, forging an unbreakable bond in the process. Of course, their love is bound to ruffle feathers — especially in our current politically and racially charged climate. Locals yell slurs and attack Jamila for covering her head with a scarf in public and Jamila's father eventually calls Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Roberto because he disapproves of the budding relationship. But Jamila doesn't let Roberto's deportation stop their love. Instead, she hitches her way to Mexico to find Roberto, eventually finding him and his mother and uniting their two families.
"We are more capable of doing more good than ever before, but we are still mired by a myriad of systemic failures that continue to arise because of our continuing lack of empathy towards others," the video's director Cole Wiley said in a statement according to Rolling Stone. "That is why Jamila and Roberto, the star-crossed lovers featured in the 'Surefire' music video, face a number of obstacles that are heavily rooted in the current state of America. Fear of immigration, religious bigotry and many other forms of prejudice are contaminating our cultural landscape on a daily basis." It's a powerful message, one that the video for "Surefire" gets across.
Check out the video for "Surefire" right here and be sure to catch John Legend on the road as he performs on his Darkness And Light Tour, which is currently making its way across North America.
