“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line.” -WEB DuBois The uptick in racist remarks and attacks on African Americans and Hispanics has caught the attention of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Color People) who of the America’s oldest civil rights organizations. This week the NAACP delegates...
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The election of Barack Obama has obscured the tragic and ugly side of what is happening in poor and working African America neighborhoods, especially to young black men. As Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow points out, “today an astounding percentage of the African American community is warehoused in prisons or trapped...
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In 1971, Marvin Gaye articulated what was on the minds of most people in America with his landmark single and album “What’s Going On.” The content of What’s Going On was that of a politically charged and deeply personal Motown album, and was notable for including elements of jazz and classical music instrumentation and...
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In order to achieve real action, you must yourself be a living part of Africa and of her thought; you must be an element of that popular energy which is entirely called forth for the freeing, the progress, and the happiness of Africa. There is no place outside that firth for the artist or...
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You are my pride and joy And I just love you, little darlin’ Like a baby boy loves his toy You’ve got kisses sweeter than honey And I work seven days a week to give you all my money And that’s why you are my pride and joy And I’m tellin’ the world -Marvin...
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Motown is both a style of music and a label and is now a metaphor for success and excellence. Motown set the standard for popular music, and developed a sound which others musicians and record companies sought to emulate. No other label is more identified with the sound it produced which gives credence to...
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“To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary song; you must fashion the revolution with the people. And if you fashion it with the people, the songs will come by themselves and of themselves.” Sekou Toure, President Guinea The 1960s freedom struggle was reaffirmation of Sekou Toure...
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It is indeed a rare and intriguing moment when an artist decides he or she is the instrument of history-making. ” In the closing year of the 1950s, such an artist, Miles Davis, conceived of and produce a masterpiece- Kind of Blue. A moment like this happens only occasionally: Martin Luther King, “I Have...
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Proclamation 8389 – African-American Music Appreciation Month, 2009 June 2, 2009 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation The legacy of African-American composers, singers, songwriters, and musicians is an indelible piece of our Nation’s culture. Generations of African Americans have carried forward the musical traditions of their forebears, blending old...
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Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were the defining figures of the 1960s black freedom struggle. These two towering leaders influence and determine the scope and tone of the civil rights struggle and black power movement. Through their philosophy and leadership, they set the moral and social agenda for much of the second half...
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