If you followed the news this past summer, you likely noticed that there was much talk of flags and their significance. This was especially the case for the State of South Carolina as legislation was passed to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the capitol in Columbia. This came after a horrific mass killing took place at the hands of a white supremacist who had previously been photographed brandishing not only the Confederate battle flag, but also those of apartheid-era Rhodesia and South Africa.

As I sit here listening to 1965′s “Scandal Ska” by the legendary Skatalites of Kingston, Jamaica, I can’t help but get nostalgic about a time and a place that I’ve never actually known. But the power of this music lies in its very universality. That said, I can’t help but notice that a considerable proportion of these songs’ uploaders and commentators on YouTube are Spanish-speaking.