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<v Janelle>I'm not in to respectability politics.</v>

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You know, when I wear a tuxedo, or I'm covered,

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it's an act of rebellion for me.

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It's about redefining what it means to be a woman

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and what can be sexy.

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And that has never been about making people comfortable.

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You know, I had to remind myself

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that when I take off my make-up,

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when I take off my tour outfit,

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you know, when I come home

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from working as the artist Janelle Monae,

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the truth is, I am a young, black, queer woman

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who grew up to working class parents.

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And a grandmother who served food

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in county jail for 25 years.

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That is my life.

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And when I look out, I see people that every single day

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are told that they don't matter

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by those in the position of power.

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And that feels like a direct attack

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on the people that I love and that I care about.

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And I easily fit into a lot of those marginalized groups,

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but because I am an artist and I have a platform,

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and I have been able to tour around the world

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and not have to deal with those everyday issues

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in the same way that most folk do,

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there's a sense of responsibility that I feel

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and an obligation that I feel like I have.

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The great thing about creating music is that

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you can bring people together

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no matter what their political beliefs are.

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You have the power to unite people.

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And once you get people in a room,

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there's so much space for them to get to know each other,

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to get to smile at each other,

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and just say, hey, I was wrong about you.

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I think you can do that around art.

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Art connects people.

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[murmuring]

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