Meet the Jazz Musicians Behind The Arlo Hotel Incident
By Kierra Bannister
By this point, anyone who has internet access and a social media account has heard of “SoHo Karen.” As seen in the now infamous video, “SoHo Karen”, aka Miya Ponsetto, attacks 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. in Manhattan’s Arlo NoMad Hotel. After “peacefully” heading downstairs to the Arlo’s lobby for a Boxing Day brunch, Harrold Jr. and his father, Harrold Sr. were on the receiving end of a series of onslaughts from Ponsetto, who blamed the Black teen for stealing her iPhone. In the clip posted by Harrold Sr. and statements from the family, even hotel management failed to properly deescalate the situation at hand and played into the false accusations and unwarranted attacks hurled by Ponsetto.
Much too often Black victims of hate crimes, including those that result in death, are villainized. Not this time.
Kat Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican saxophonist, is the mother of Keyon Harrold Jr.
So many people that have heard murmurs of this case are not aware that the parents of the teen are a musically accomplished pair — his father, a Black jazz trumpeter and his mother, Kat Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican saxophonist. Many of us have likely heard their work countless times but never knew their faces. As the story continues to develop, it’ll be easy for Ponsetto to paint the family in a negative light in an attempt to defend her unforgivable actions. It’s imperative to reclaim the narrative and shed light on the works of the Harrold-Rodriguez family because their work in music and beyond is worthy of celebration.
Harrold Sr. and Rodriguez are artists that have collectively worked with modern legends like Beyonce, JAY-Z, Rihanna, John Legend, Common, Snoop Dogg, Mobb Deep, Mac Miller and so many others. They are instrumentalists that have performed internationally for audiences around the world, and at renowned events including the Grammy Awards, Glastonbury Music Festival, the Superbowl and even Michelle Obama’s Birthday at the White House. Outside of performing and recording, Rodriguez became a speaker for Beyonce’s BeyGood Organization while working with the star. As noted on her website, “speaking to underprivileged children and adults became one of Kat’s passions. Since then she has done several clinics in her community. She is a private instructor and helps put together new and exciting music programs through her Position at Young at Arts which she is currently the Instrumental Department Director which oversees five campuses and around 160 students.”
Harrold Sr. takes an artistic approach to his outreach by interlacing his music with social commentary.
Harrold Sr. takes an artistic approach to his outreach by interlacing his music with social commentary. On songs like “MB Lament” and “When Will It Stop”, he speaks to the state of race relations “in the wake of Michael Brown’s death and the senseless killings of so many others like him.” Harrold Sr. also says, “sometimes folks can’t speak for themselves, so as humbly and as honestly as I can, I try to speak for those people with my music.” It’s clear that aside from their contributions to notable songs and performances, the couple has devoted time to activism, community care, and promoting representation. The Harrolds are going above and beyond to cater to their communities and be a loudspeaker for the underprivileged, whose voices are often under amplified.
This incident is a reminder that even to be a highly successful, multiple accoladed Black and/or Brown person does not exempt one from overt racial bias and prejudice. While the news cycle surrounding this story has recently shifted focus to Ponsetto in light of her recent (and overdue) arrest and shockingly insincere, “Daddy” baseball cap-clad interview with Gayle King, it’s crucial that we don’t lose sight of who exactly was targeted here and the sad reason why.
Kierra is a culture writer for La Tonique.
