Songs About Identity, Diversity, and Empathy
published 2/2/21; updated 8/24/24
by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org
Continuing the popular series of Song Playlists for Teachers, here are a variety of songs that challenge stereotypes and help us think about how we're the same and different from other groups and individuals.
Teachers, please note: With such a multicultural audience teaching young children through adults, I can’t guarantee that all of the songs and videos will be appropriate for your particular context. I’ve included brief descriptions to help you choose, but please preview anything you plan to share with your students.
Black Like Me, Mickey Guyton
lyrics; audio; live performance; figure skating routine by Starr Andrews
The challenges of growing up as a minority in a small town.
Are you surprised to see the black experience represented by a figure skater? See 'Brother' and 'Southern Curls' (below) and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement and #blacklivesmatter for different perspectives. You may also like 'My Black is Beautiful' by teacher Lovely Hoffman, which I've included in the Song Playlist on Self-Compassion, Self-Acceptance, and Empathy
Born This Way, Lady Gaga
lyrics; dance performance by 'Gleedom'
A song about loving who you are… whoever you are.
For more songs like this, see the Song Playlist on Self-Acceptance.
Healing Our Culture, Yabu Band
Yabu Band is an indigenous rock group from Australia. (Scroll down to 'Indomitable' and 'Still Here' for more indigenous perspectives.)
Hip Op-eration: The World's Oldest Dance Crew
video about the group; dance performance at the 2013 World HipHop Finals
I Am Australian, Yabu Band
audio in Wongi and English; video of students from Mosman Park School for Deaf Children signing in Auslan (Australian Sign Language)
I'm Deaf, Sean Forbe
lyrics; video, performed in English and American Sign Language (ASL)
Clever Deaf pride song from a popular Deaf rapper.
I've got a whole playlist of Songs in ASL on Mindfulness and Compassion, including 'Watch These Hands' by Sean Forbes. I've also included his song 'Hate' on the Multilingual Song Playlist on Unity, Diversity, Peace and Tolerance.
Indomitable, DJ Shub ft. Northern Cree Singers
video (no lyrics available; electronic instrumental music with traditional Cree chanting)
Little Boxes, Malvina Reynolds
lyrics; audio by Pete Seeger; cover by Walk Off the Earth
All the people look and act the same in their matching houses in their matching neighborhoods.
The Movement, 4 Wheel City
Hip-hop duo Namel “Tapwaterz”Norris and Ricardo “Rickfire” Velasquez were both paralyzed in their teens. In “The Movement” they advocate for fellow wheelchair users. (You can learn more about them at 4wheelcity.com.)
Mujeres (Women), Julieta Venegas
English translation of lyrics; official video (in Spanish)
Tired of being silent, she’s speaking out for women.
Scroll down to 'Walls' by Wolf Saga for another perspective on supporting women.
There are three more songs in Spanish on the 'Multilingual Song Playlist.'
Nose Song from 'Cyrano'
This song is from a musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. You might also be interested in the parallel scene from the movie 'Roxane,' where Steve Martin's modern-day Cyrano out-disses the man who insults him at a bar by coming up with 20 insults more clever than 'big nose.'
Please Do Not Touch the Indians, Arigon Starr
lyrics; audio; video of live performance (minutes 1:00-5:00)
Country song with an upbeat tempo, listing the ways popular movies have spread inaccurate information and damaging stereotypes about Native tribes. (There’s an explanation of the song on the Native American Media Representation blog.)
Pretty, Lauren Alaina
lyrics; cover by Roxanne; official audio
Recognizing your own beauty and strength rather than always suffering to try to be pretty.
You might also be interested in the Songs About Self-Acceptance especially, 'Try' by Colbie Caillat, 'Pretty Hurts' by Beyoncé, and 'Courage' by Superchick.
Racist, Sexist Boy, The Linda Lindas
lyrics; video of performance at Los Angeles Public Library
Tween and teen punk rocker girls stand up for themselves.
Southern Curls, Julie Williams
You might want to use this song in conjunction with 'Black Like Me' by Mickey Guyton (near top of this playlist) and 'My Black is Beautiful' by teacher Lovely Hoffman, which I've included in the Song Playlist on Self-Compassion, Self-Acceptance, and Empathy.
The Village, Wrabel
lyrics; official video featuring the dance group Unity (including testimonials about various reasons they’ve been bullied); performance by Unity on Britain’s Got Talent (Performance starts at 1:13; Be sure to show the audience’s reaction to the performance, and the performers’ reaction to the audience, starting at 5:10.)
This video is quite powerful, but I do need to mention that it will be offensive to some folks b/c of the support for LGBT youth and a verse referring to church and the Bible. (For the record, the Christians I know personally, including members of my own extended family, have a wide range of views on LGBT issues.)
Who’s So Scared, Disappear Fear
lyrics; video of live performance (song starts at :42)
This song takes the poem “Incident” by Countee Cullen about a racial slur against a little boy, adds a verse about a 14-year old girl frightened to be gay, and ends with the question “Won’t you explain to me the pain of your life?” (“Incident” includes the N-word; that’s the point of the poem.)
Worth, Jade Turner
audio; video (lyrics in video description): shows a boy from a First Nations community who is taken into foster care
Related Posts
There are many more song playlists and resources on diversity, community, and compassion here at MindfulTeachers.org, including the following posts: