Ceremonies were held across Paris yesterday in memory of those who lost their lives exactly one year ago in the worst attack on France since World War II. Today, Philly-based emcee, producer, and multi-media artist MH the Verb and his multi-faceted collective ArtHouse95 pay their respects in the Kate McFadden-directed music video for “Last Dance In Paris.” In addition to commemorating the one year anniversary of the Paris attacks, MH reminds us of forgotten tragedies concerning people of color, such as the Beirut bombings that claimed the lives of more than 40 people around the same time last year.

“[When] the city of Paris fell victim to a series of coordinated terrorist attacks, my heart sank… I felt an extreme closeness to the situation… [I later learned that] two suicide bombers detonated explosives in Bourj el-Barajneh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. They killed more than 40 people. I had heard nothing about these terrorist attacks online, in the news, or on TV. No hashtags or specialized profile pictures for Beirut… I felt cheated, hoodwinked, and bamboozled… Even today, CNN’s top stories hover around Colin Kapernick’s jersey sales and Hilary Clinton’s emails, with little mention of activist Darren Seal’s death or the Syrian chlorine gas attacks. Once again, I’ve been let down and distracted by our westernized media. A (news) culture, which consistently devalues the experiences of those with color and those with less. I wrote [‘Last Dance in Paris’] to remind myself and everyone listening that there is more to a story than what you are told. The truth is out there… While at times, the truth will bring pain and loneliness, it will also bring positivity and purpose. For every Paris there is a Beirut, and we need our voices to say something, or else we are just left with CNN.” – MH The Verb