In the U.S.; in the 1940's
No self-respecting (too few??) Black or Brown male in this country should be allowed to end this year's Black History Month without being aware of one fact: Centuries of conditioning has produced whites, the world over, who are convinced that Blacks were sent to the United States to learn how to ENTERTAIN WHITES!! All sorts of thieves, imposters, and white culture protectors have made fortunes from this fact.
From Elvis, to Marvin Hamlisch, and every sort of "musician" in between; the "rip-off's" have come in waves.
We're currently in the throes of the RAP version of this sad saga!
In my lifetime, I first saw this phenomenon in the 1940's when I visited my Grandfather's business. He went into business in 1907, and after fighting whites all the way; the Right Wing variety got their hands on his business in the mid-50's; leveling that entire side of the block on East Main; where the blacks had their businesses. The Historic Maple Leaf Club was destroyed at the same time. That took the life, and the fight, out of Grandpa.
He died in 1958.
If you want to see a picture of that side of East Main Street, Google: They All Played Ragtime, by Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis. One of Grandpas closest friends was old Tom Ireland, who died, at the age of 97 in 1963. Google also: New York Times, Sunday, September 1, 1963, for that story.
Ever wonder what white folk did in the Middle West for entertainment during the War Years? (Before T.V.)? The mostly German, Catholic, and EVIL whites of my home town (Misery is pretty much the same, today -- mean, ignorant, and "poorer than Job's Turkey"); would pack the kiddies and the pop-corn into the jalopy and drive NORTH to East Main on a Saturday Night to watch the "Coloreds" (few of them were that nice with their language) "at play"; and to hear that infectious Ragtime Music. Starting in 1890, Ragtime was as big a hit as Rock and Roll became to Cracker Kids in the early 1950's. Little Richard was a very early victim of the many "invasions" that followed.
On a lucky Saturday night, the whites were guaranteed to see a stabbing (switch-blades were the "guns" of that day). Luckier still, they might see a rare shooting! In 1950, Grandpa put me and my next older brother into "business" with a spanking "two-seater" shoe shine stand with its own door opening out on to East Main. Now THAT was the real "Saturday Night Live"!! The next morning, you could smell the alcohol on the breath of the choir in church as they "rocked" in with some of the prettiest music ever heard -- ANYWHERE, I'm sure!
Stay Vigilant! Don't be a Dissembler, who sacrifices everything to "Fit In". If you lose your honor, you will lose your dignity!
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