Mustafa Santiago Ali
Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is the Executive Vice President of Conservation & Justice for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), former Interim Chief of Programs at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and Instructor at American University. He is the Founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He also serves as a commissioner for The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). He is an award-winning writer and poet focused on social justice. Dr. Ali is frequently seen on television, including appearances on MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, VICE, FUSE, BET, National Geographic, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Democracy NOW! Mustafa is also a regular guest on Roland Martin Unfiltered, Black News Channel, Tavis Smiley Show, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and many others…
Editor's Note: This poem is the 35th in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems, interviews, short stories, and articles about political events.
We gather, heartbeat to heartbeat, in rhythm, feet tracing the map of our mothers’ living rooms, all grooves and gospel, love at every verse— “Before I Let Go” plays, and we know this is Black joy baptized in funk, a communion of sweat and silk, cousins swaying, uncles two-stepping, aunties’ laughter like brass horns cutting through dusk— a summer cookout blessing the air.
Frankie’s voice, a velvet testimony, says, “We are one,” says, “Look back and smile on where you’ve been.” He be preacher of blue notes, sermon of soul, saxophone and sunshine— he sings like he’s remembering for all of us, how we danced through pain, how we made love feel like coming home.
He gave us our anthem— hands up, head back, screaming, “Joy and pain, sunshine and rain”— a soundtrack for the struggle, our memories bending between the bassline, our hopes lifted with each hook. He made us believe the darkest nights were just preludes to the dancefloor, where even broken hearts find a beat to break to.
How many weddings have sealed vows with “Golden Time of Day”? How many tears were dried, grief transformed into a slow groove, hearts mended by the hum of a bass guitar, the promise of a brighter tomorrow? This is legacy, this is Frankie— making the music that don’t just play, it stays.
He sang us free, gave us ballads for the everyday, melodies to stitch us back whole when the world tried to tear us apart. When “Happy Feelings” dropped, didn’t it feel like love was possible again? Didn’t it feel like we were kissed by the sun? He be the jukebox prophet, a maestro of hope in minor keys, each note a prayer, a praise, a plea— to keep dancing, keep loving, keep living.
Frankie, maestro of the moment, you built a maze where we all could find our way, laced with lessons, laughter, and lush harmonies. Your gift was never just the song; it was the feeling, the fire, the freedom. It was the way we forgot our troubles when the first chord hit, how we became a choir, united, voices lifted to the stars in gratitude and groove.
So here’s to you, Frankie, a man of music and miracle, a living legend in every lyric, you gave us soundtracks to survive, gave us joy and pain, taught us how to sway through it all—
You taught us how to be more human, to sing through sorrow, dance through doubt, and to forever hold onto love, like the sweetest song, played on and on and on.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
#Poetry #Music #Culture #FrankieBeverly #Maze #HappyFeelings #RestInPower