Minnesota-based vocal ensemble Sounds of Blackness sent a bold message by releasing “Time For Reparations” last summer, and the NCAAP Image Awards has recognized the song with a nomination in the Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song category. Music director Gary Hines told The Local Show host Diane about the meanings of their song and nomination.

Diane: Hey, it's The Current and I am here with composer Gary Hines, the music director of the Grammy Award-winning Minnesota ensemble Sounds of Blackness. And the group is up for a NAACP Image Award for their song "Time For Reparations." Congratulations, that's an amazing honor.

Gary Hines: Thank you so much on behalf of Sounds of Blackness. Yes, it is. Thank you.

Can you give our listeners, who might not be aware of Sounds of Blackness, a bit of context into the historicness of the Sounds of Blackness and the role you play in this group? From my understanding, it's quite a large ensemble with a history and cast of rotating musicians.

Yes, it is. We are celebrating our 50th anniversary. We began at my alma mater, Macalester College — and a shout-out to our emeritus founder, Brother Russel Knight, a native of Beaumont, Texas — our singers and band. In fact, many of the current members are actually offspring of original members. So this is actually Sounds of Blackness, second generation. And we've been blessed to continue our relationship with Macalester College, and to enjoy the support of the Twin Cities community and the state of Minnesota for the past 50 years.

Tell me about "Time For Reparations," the song that was nominated. I mean, it's an important song of the times right now. Tell me about writing the song; tell me about what reparations look like for you in today's world.

Thank you very much. "Time For Reparations" is a modern continuation of a movement that began in the 1860s. A lot of people are seeing this as something new and current, and we're glad that it is refreshed, but the movement for reparations began in the 1860s. People think incorrectly that reparations were never paid. Ironically, they were paid to slave owners, by the Union. Of course, the former enslaved Africans never received a dime.

Now, the Congressional Black Caucus has introduced H.R. 40, which is a call for reparations. And in Madison, Wisconsin and Evanston, [Illinois], there actually are programs and different cities across America where reparations actually have already started to commence in one form or another. So the precedent is there. And it needed an anthem. The Civil Rights Movement had "We Shall Overcome." The Black is Beautiful movement had James Brown, "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud." And the reparations movement, which was the theme for Juneteenth this past year, 2021, needed an anthem. That was the genesis and motivation for Sounds of Blackness singing "Time For Reparations."

I imagine that some of the inspiration behind the song was some of the suffering that the community went through after the murder of George Floyd. It seems now, more than ever, this type of music is needed. What was that experience like for y'all as an important ensemble in this community?

It was really — and still is — traumatic. First of all, we realize and acknowledge Brother George was murdered, lynched, five blocks from where we rehearse. Right in the heart of the South Minneapolis Black community. He worked out at the same gym that I worked out at: Los Campeones. He's done security for Jamecia Bennett, one of our lead singers. So there was a closeness there.

Even beyond all of that, we realize that George Floyd's murder represented something that has gone on, in one form or another, in the African American community for the past four centuries. So it's not new. Now we just — thank God — have the devices to capture it. We were so happy that the world responded. Our fan club in Japan, in Germany: 15,000-20,000 people, kneeling in the streets across the globe, in commemoration of George Floyd. That needed an anthem, and we did the song "Sick & Tired" based on the words of Fannie Lou Hamer: "Sick and tired of being sick and tired." "Time For Reparations" is the continuation of that.

For so long, y'all have been winning awards and pushing music with such a beautiful message to the public. I just want to hear more of your feelings about getting this nomination.

The nomination is a special honor, as your question infers. And that's because the NAACP, of course, has also been in the political and cultural vanguard of the movement for racial and social justice. The name says, the NAACP — the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — it's been primarily African American, but all people of color. That's what Sounds of Blackness are about as well, justice for all people in the struggle against injustice for people of color. We're the musical embodiment of what NAACP stands for and what they fight for. We were at a rally this past summer with our Asian brothers and sisters, we called it the Black and Gold, Gold and Soul, a rally for unity kind of thing, when the hate against Asian Americans just blossomed. And again, it's always been there. We know it's nothing new.

I'm saying all that to say that being nominated for this song, which ironically — and I have to say this candidly — a lot of radio shied away from. We want to publicly thank The Current for not being one of them. We realize that it's not one of our happier songs, like “Optimistic” or "Hold On (Change Is Comin’)." That's what radio expected from us. And across the country, a lot of stations that have been great Sounds of Blackness supporters did not play "Time For Reparations.” They wanted to, but they were facing pressure from sponsors and people saying that it was too much a possibility of offending people and all of that. Despite that, the NAACP acknowledged the viability and the relevance of this song. So we're extremely grateful for that.

Gary Hines of Sounds of Blackness, such a pleasure having you on air with me.

Thank you. And speaking of online, we want to invite everybody to go to NAACPImageAwards.net. The public can vote on our award. Please go to the recording category [Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song] and vote for Sounds of Blackness' "Time For Reparations." You can go to our website, and you can see our video on YouTube. You can purchase our merchandise at our website, and just leave us a message and we promise we'll get back to you.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. NCAAP Image Award voting is open until Saturday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. Central.