Posted on Jun 22, 2020

A Woman On TikTok Sang A Song Calling Out People For Using Racist Statistics, And It's Gone Super Viral

This is the official song of the summer.

BuzzFeed Staff

Earlier this month, Erynn, a 27-year-old elementary school teacher from Charlotte, shared this TikTok of her singing a little jingle on her porch. The song, which I personally think should be the official song of the summer, calls out people for using skewed "statistics" to justify police brutality and racism. Have a listen for yourself:

@rynnstar
About y’alls favorite “statistics“ 🙄
♬ original sound - rynnstar

When asked about her inspiration for the song, Erynn told BuzzFeed, "Another TikTok creator named Onlinekyne had recently made a video breaking down the mathematical elements of the statistics people use to justify racism, and I was just inspired by it and sung a little ditty on my porch. I never imagined it would blow up!"

Aside from gaining more than 1.7 million views on TikTok, many other creators have started dueting and covering Erin's song, and the results are fantastic! Case in point: this barbershop quartet cover by Alex Engelberg...

@alexengelberg
I love this song! Thank you for this gift @rynnstar #statistics #barbershopquartet
♬ original sound - alexengelberg

And this production edit of the barbershop quartet...

@charliecurtisb
It’s my new favorite song so I had to add production to it #duet with @alexengelberg & @rynnstar thank you two for this 🙏🏾
♬ So shut up. The new SchoolHouse Rock - charliecurtisb

And this lovely harp rendition...

@hannah_harpist
#react to @rynnstar singing the facts we need to hear
♬ original sound - rynnstar

This pole dancing routine choreographed to said harp rendition...

@riridoesthings
#duet with @hannah_harpist TURN IT UP #georgefloydjustice #poledancin
♬ original sound - rynnstar

And Erynn's personal favorite, this sax cover done on a hoverboard!

@samthefword
whatever you do don’t look at my feet #fyp #blm #band #music
♬ original sound - whatswrongwithsam

And trust me, there are TONS more wonderful versions out there.

"I love that it’s inspired so many people to create their own versions!" Erynn told BuzzFeed. "The amount of celebrities that I’ve seen share it and even reach out to me personally has been really crazy."

And here's the best part about Erynn's song: She's right! Although Black people account for 13% of the US population according to the US Census Bureau and ~allegedly~ account for 50% of homicides (according to a study that came out in 2011, I might add), these numbers are flawed. They don't take into account the fact that not everyone who commits a crime gets convicted, convictions may be based on biases like race, and a myriad of other factors (including over-policing certain neighborhoods) that complicate the issue and make the 50% "statistic" overly simplistic. She breaks that down further here:

@rynnstar
Busting y’all’s favorite myth 🙄 go to @onlinekyne for a mathematicians perspective and thanks to @solosuede for the analogy I’m cribbing from ✌🏾
♬ original sound - rynnstar

When asked what she hopes people take away from the song and her work on TikTok, Erynn said, "To question their biases and consider that a narrative that they’ve been given is not telling them the whole story."

You can follow Erynn on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, where she continues to educate her audience on race, Black culture, and Black identity. And be sure to send her jingle to every person you know!