Be Weary: Resistance and Refusal in Black American Music

Abstract

Weary bodies are frequently seen as hopeless, withdrawn, or useless. The common understanding is that weariness is uncritical, limited by fatigue, and always politically inactive. In the realm of Black expression, however, the recurring affect of weariness (and its recognition) is one that elucidates an impasse of endurance and resistance. The seemingly diametric theses of Max Roach’s ‘Members Don’t Git Weary’ and Solange Knowles’ ‘Weary’ evoke this paradox of survival, bringing necessary complexity to discussions of subjugation, agency, and refusal in the Black American context.