To the Kid

“Now where I come from
We don’t let society tell us how it’s supposed to be
Our clothes, our hair, we don’t care
It’s all about being there
Everybody’s going uptown
That’s where I want to be
Uptown
Set your mind free
Uptown
Got my body hot
Get down
I don’t want to stop, no”

– from Prince’s Uptown

He reintroduced me to James – the moves, intensity, and swagger – Joni, Sly, Aretha, Jimi, and even Little Richard.

I embraced the notion that being tall isn’t a requirement for power.

He told me that I should keep my faith and that Love is God and God is Love

I could and did wear makeup.

My first teacher on the fluidity of gender.

Showed me how to splash purple style into my professional gear.

Wasn’t just about the groove and the thump. For me, it was a funkiness as a way of life – his music and way of life gave me a sense of self, freed me from small inhibitions, and offered a way for me to come alive. It was also about protest, escaping, and landing on my own uniqueness. This is a celebration of being human and all the conditions that go with it. It’s about the joy of life.

Prince is a genre. Uptown is the manifesto.

Let the Purple Reign begin.

Peace.