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Racism
threatens American music
During
Black History Month we celebrate the great
scholars, activists and personalities whose
efforts transformed the United States. In
looking at our nation today, it is hard
to imagine that just a few short decades
ago communities were divided along color
lines according to a policy of segregation
which received blessings by the United States
Supreme Court.
During
the mid-20th century, most black Americans
were treated almost as non-humans. Such
despicable treatment was common for blacks
regardless of age, class or occupation.
Musicians
like the late, great Sam Cooke had to enter
venues through hidden rear entrances to
protect the white clientele from the supposed
indignity of walking through the same doorways
as black Americans. Fortunately, the civil
rights movement saved the United States
from its embarrassing irrational policy
of segregation, but the separation of races
was just one of a myriad of forms of discrimination.
Racism not only dictated which door a musician
passed through, but if the musician would
have an opportunity to perform.
In
the 1950s, large record companies were searching
frantically to capitalize on the growing
popularity of rock 'n' roll, a new style
of music pioneered by innovative black musicians.
The only problem was that the performers
did not match their appearance qualifications.
Wanting to wrap the raw, explosive music
into a nice, white package, record producers
came across a marketing dream: Elvis Presley.
Presley was a young and attractive white
singer from the South who was lauded for
his ability to "sound black."
Presley of course went on to become a legend
of American music while countless black
singers were never even given the chance.
Despite
their limited opportunities, Southern blacks
were able to affect musicians across the
United States and around the globe. Some
of the most famous bands in the world cite
African American performers as a direct
source of inspiration. Yet it is striking
that such influential figures are eclipsed
by more commercially successful groups.
For instance, the magazine Rolling Stone,
in its repeated efforts to list the top
songs, albums, and performers in music history,
consistently rank bands like the Beatles,
the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin as the
best of the best. Early Beatles albums that
launched the band into stardom include covers
of songs penned by Chuck Berry, Little Richard
and Smokey Robinson. The Rolling Stones
were often applauded for efforts like Exile
on Main Street, which heavily incorporated
American rhythm and blues. Led Zeppelin
gained fame with near verbatim interpretations
of raw delta blues. More recently, the White
Stripes became the darlings of the music
critics with their intensely blues-flavored
albums, which include songs by Robert Johnson
and Blind Willie McTell.
Western
history is filled with such examples of
the appropriation of black culture by the
white mainstream. Despite creating such
powerful music, rarely are the black originators
given attention on a wide scale. Decades
after the reign of the King, there is still
evidence that white singers benefit from
the Elvis phenomenon. Recently, music critics
raved over British singer Joss Stone, writing
in awe about the "white girl who sounds
black." Modern Western civilization
is said to be characterized by equality
and devoid of archaic racism, yet we often
see that some elements of society are still
in search of a Great White Hope. Thankfully,
the commercial success of numerous black
musicians demonstrates that American consumers
are by and large color-blind, regardless
of the insensitive remarks of the elite
press.
Although
the civil rights movement has taken us leaps
and bounds from the cruel practices like
those from the Jim Crow South, it cannot
be denied that racism continues to exist
in the present day. Vocal and unapologetic
racists are easy to identify, but those
who mask their bigotries are just as dangerous.
Discrimination, even in its most subtle
form, is an assault against humanity. We
owe it to our country's civil rights pioneers
to continue the battle against racism until
we finally create a society that is truly
equal. Black history is not just about reflecting
on the past. It is also necessary for shaping
a better future.
Elisa
Herrera is a graduate student in history
and a member of the CSULB Campus Progressives
Collective.
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