Under the Influence: Discrimination Since the start of the 21st century, racial diversity has increased and the nation’s minority population has grown substantially. Minorities today are the majority in many parts of the country. Studies predict that if current rates of the national population continue to trend the way it has for the past 20 year, then by 2035, minorities will outnumber non-Hispanic caucasians. There are many benefits and advantages of diversity, however, there are also challenges and barriers. It is important to note that the very communities that are growing are also the ones that are experiencing significant obstacles, disparities and discrimination.…
How do you define a generation? Relate to a whole ethnicity? Or make everyone come together as one? The answer is with music. In 1959 a man named Berry Gordy made a small business in Detroit Michigan with a small loan from his family to start something amazing.…
In the short stories Coming of Age in Mississippi and “Everyday Use”, Anne Moody known as Essie Mae, and Mrs. Johnson otherwise known as Momma, share similar characteristics in the way they are alienated by their actions in the two short stories. Essie Mae and Momma are both strong, independent black women who live in the time period of segregation and intense animosity between the black and white races. Furthermore, they are both experiencing conflicts of interest among their family members closest to them and their selves throughout the entirety of the two stories. Nevertheless, Essie Mae from the Coming of Age in Mississippi and Momma from “Everyday Use” possess the modern condition because of the way Essie Mae and Momma are alienated from particular members of their families and their behavioral actions to their surroundings.…
Friday Films have had a major impact on our judgement of other cultures. The movie, “Friday”, is no exception. This movie takes place in the 90’s and revolves around Ice Cube’s character, Craig and his misadventures in a poor suburban neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles on a Friday. Although it’s a very comical movie, the depiction of African Americans is very degrading and inaccurate for both the men and women of the culture. The men in the movie are made out to be violent scoundrels, excessive drug users, and conniving thieves.…
Programming repertoire for an ensemble is one of the most important aspects of one’s job as a conductor or director. Not only is this facet an important quality to have, but it is also a necessary staring point on the road to a wonderful performance. In this rationale, we will elaborate on a hypothetical approach to this necessary process with an imaginary high school group. General Context…
They educated, motivated, strengthened, and provided hope for a race who was in turmoil and transition” (Davis). “Of all the musical styles on which soul music is built, the two most prominent are gospel and blues. Both are expressions from the human heart of love, pain, and longing. Gospel is church-based and sung to God, while the blues is secular and often sung to another person-often a spouse or lover, present or former. Both musical forms release the participants from their immediate confines, offering refuge for the spirit” (Stax Museum…
In the early days of hillbilly music, black and white people in the south had their different shows and concerts. They were not that many visible interracial integrations or collaboration between singers. Every community had their own shows and their musical style. So, it was very important that the Grand Ole Opry signed in Bailey because they realized that they could get more audience in order to expand their show, which they eventually did. For instance, the author of the book, Hidden in the Mix: The African American Presence in Country Music, claimed that “moreover a major reason Bailey and other artists appeared on Opry was to attract black listeners, particularly potential black customers for National Life and Accident Insurance, the major…
“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin is a story about a struggling addict named Sonny. Sonny’s family was born and raised in the housing projects of Harlem, New York in the 1950’s during a time where heroin was booming and racism was still alive. As an African American man Sonny’s paths in life were limited. Like most of his African American community Sonny turned to music and drugs to numb the pain of life’s endless disappointments. According to an article by 12 Keys Rehabilitation, “Most psychological addiction begins with feelings that are out of control.…
Music is a powerful language which speaks to us, move us, and fills us with emotions. In “Sonny’s Blues”, the voice of jazz reflects the relationship between two brothers. The unnamed narrator who represents one of the one of the sides of the African American experience. Sonny the titular character of the story, Sonny represents the other side of the African American experience. In “Sonny’s Blues” we find an important description of how a musician can express his feeling through his music.…
Ragtime music appeared during a period of ballads and parlor music, so ragtime was a source of rebellion in the musical world. Ragtime is a term to identify an era of American music original between the years 1896 and 1917; Ragtime set a new agenda in popular music and brought forth a social revolution. Historical ragtime was pioneered by the black population and was resisted by the Victorian style music of the time (Ostendorf, 579), which makes sense to why only the black sheep of the family, mother’s younger brother, was the only one who has heard of the music until Coalhouse Walker brought it to the family. Just like ragtime was historical a head of its time, Coalhouse had more dignity and power than what a black man of his time was believed to have in the early 20th century. Coalhouse upset the balance of father’s Victorian style world, being a “new breed” of blacks who were willing to challenge the society of overt racism (Ostendorf, 590).…
Ragtime, like the blues, was extremely popular around 100 years ago and was only disliked by people of high society, due to its mixed background. To put it simply, the rhythm of ragtime was “black or African, the harmony and melody was white or European, and the ending result was American [2].” Also, rag was heavily in whorehouses, saloons, and eventually concert halls; the very definition of the word rag was slang for “dance” [2].” Therefore, ragtime and blues came from very different cultural backgrounds with dissimilar purposes. People played and listened to ragtime for entertainment.…
Beginning in the seventeenth century, the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia to aid in the production of profitable crops is where a soon to be flourishing slave trade witnesses Africans being snatched and carried to America in bondage, separating them from their families, leaving them with no sense of familiarity. Although, unfortunate, out of this state of anguish and distress came the development of a new culture. Vast generations of Africans turned African-Americans over time advanced as a rich culture infused with music. African Americans were viewed as inferior and unequal for centuries as White Americans went through great bounds to keep blacks separated from their world. Despite the…
Music Composer for To Kill a Mockingbird • “Ultralight Beam” by Kanye West is the first song on this soundtrack. The second verse by Kelly Price talks about how “You persecute the weak / Because it makes you feel so strong,” similar to when Atticus talks about how Mayella is putting this man on trial so she doesn’t have to deal with the fact she kissed a black man. They both possess the mood of being somber. The song makes you feel as if there are problems that have been corrected and you finally feel free. The book, however, highlights the racial divide between whites and blacks.…
Both Baartmann and Green were put on display for the viewing and entertainment of white people. They also confirmed the white ideas of the black existence. Aunt Jemima and Green’s minstrelsy commodified the mammy figure. The image of Aunt Jemima will be widely spread through advertisements and “memorabilia” and persist into present…
In the early 17th century boat upon boat would bring Africans to America to be sold as slaves and placed on plantations and other unfavorable positions. Although it was a turning point in African culture in brought upon the rise of the African American who although had changed significantly from his African roots still managed to keep some of their original identity. This retention of African identity also played a pivotal role in African American music, although it had gone through many changes whether they were naturally occurring or forced up on it, the African roots could still be pulled to the surface with rather ease. At first all was stripped from the slaves who arrived, in some cases even their music however over time and in different areas things like work songs would become more and more common because in the slave owners eyes these work songs promoted good work ethic and efficiency. Already we see a connection back to the African culture, the work song.…