A major music career milestone is coming up for me next month: the 40th anniversary of my first multi-instrument demo recording, "Empire". In January 1984, I was working as a waitress in a .... creperie (not a cocktail bar, thank you Human League), where I'd met a couple of talented singer/songwriter/musicians. Chuck and Andrew formed the core of L'étranger, a socially-conscious Canadian punk rock band. I knew through their song lyrics and activism that both guys shared my concerns about sexism and anti-Black racism, and that all members of the band would lay down strong tracks for the song. The verses of "Empire" told about the ways in which the everyday lives of Black Canadian women are impacted by discrimination, harassment and outright hatred. The chorus made the case that Empire has been built on the bones and blood of people of colour. I am proud that I wrote and recorded this song 4 decades ago, before the ensuing waves of scholarship on colonialism, institutionalized racism, and intersectionality. Needless to say, circulation of the demo to record companies did not result in any offers. But campus radio liked "Empire", and it charted at stations across my home province of Ontario. I really and truly wish that the song were not still relevant today, but sadly, it is. I re-released "Empire" in 2017 as an mp3 because it needed to be heard again by a new generation. Please enjoy the video, which contains photos and concert posters from the early part of my music career! The people who continue to benefit from empire built on bones and blood are pulling out all the stops these days to minimize and even deny the truth. Don't believe those people. When they ban books, seek out those books and read them. And listen to artists who have always told the truth about empire, like Stevie Wonder, Mavis Staples, and Faith Nolan. You'll be energized for the coming year!