Young Professionals Series: Black Male Social Workers

Social work is a noble profession. We help the people who have been cast out by society. We advocate for the socially marginalized, and we give voice to the voiceless. Over the years, there have been many famous social workers such as Jane Addams who pioneered the settlement house movement in Chicago, IL. But, history sometimes overlooks a very important segment of social workers – Black male social workers.

Whitney Young, who is known for being a civil rights leader and executive director of the National Urban League, was first a direct service social worker. He started his work with the Urban League of St. Paul, Minnesota in the 1940s helping African Americans gain employment in jobs that were previously reserved for whites. Whitney Young is perhaps one of the most famous black male social workers, and he deserves to be celebrated. Furthermore, we must continue to celebrate our famous social workers so that their legacies will live on.

Unfortunately, I fear that this legacy of influential black social workers may end if more young men of color do not enter into the profession. There are very few black males social workers in the profession today. According to the Center for Workforce Studies, in 2004 only 8% of male social workers were black compared to 85% who were non-Hispanic, white. This is a striking disparity. The disparity is notable because people of color are more likely to received social work services. The lack of representation becomes an issue when the people giving the help are all of one race and the people receiving it are all of another race.

Alan Speed, an African American social work student at the University of Pennsylvania was quoted in a 2007 Social Work Today article. He stated that in his community, “most of the people that helped did not look like me,” [and] “most of the people that needed help looked like me.” He went on to say that he wanted to become a social worker because he “wanted to be involved, especially in West Philly, especially with poverty. I really wanted to touch base with that community.”

The motivation to go into communities of color and help people that look like them is what compels many students of color to become helping professionals, especially social workers. They recognize that men of color just like themselves have poor health outcomes and are more likely to be unemployed and least likely to have college degrees. Young men of color, especially those who live in urban areas, don’t have to go far to find community members who are in need. Young men who become social workers and help their community members should also be honored just as we honor our great historical social workers.

To celebrate these young men, FROM BOYZ 2 MEN, INC. interviewed a social worker for the first installment of our Young Professionals Series. In this series, we profile young black male professionals in our community so we can learn more about what they do. We started the series with Eric Watts, a social worker who earned his Master’s Degree in Social Work at the Whitney M. Young School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. Watch the video below to hear Eric tell his story.

References

Biography.com Editors. (2016). Whitney Young Jr. Biography. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/whitney-young-jr-9539757

Morris-Comption, D. J. (2007). Wanted: African American men in social work. Retrieved from http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/janfeb2007p24.shtml

National Association of Social Workers. (2016). Black history month – Influential social workers. Retrieved from http://www.nasw-pa.org/?192

Center For Workforce Studies. (2004). 2004 national study of licensed social workers demographic fact sheet – Male social workers Retrieved from http://workforce.socialworkers.org/studies/demo_fact_male.asp

Celebrity Father Spotlight: Dreux Frédéric (a.k.a Lil Fizz)

Mona Scott-Young’s TV shows have been such a destructive force in the black community because they portray black people in such a negative light.  So, when one of her shows actually portrays something positive it can be a little shocking. On Love and Hip Hop Hollywood, the latest installment of Love and Hip Hop, there is a small breath of positivity. Dreux Pierre Frédéric a.k.a Lil Fizz, former member of the hit pop group B2K, is on the show as a custodial parent who raises his son with (what seems to be) little help from the child’s mother.

Dreux’s story is a little different from those we usually hear in the media because he has custody of his son. According to Dreux he filed for and won full custody of his son when the relationship between he and his son’s mother went south. He maintained full custody for a year and a half then the courts granted joint custody. Although they have joint custody, he still has his son full time. When his child was young he “completely put his [music] career on hold and focused on raising [his] son.”

On the show you can tell that Dreux loves having his son full time. However, even though he has him, he still has some of the same problems that noncustodial parents have. Unfortunately, he has to deal with a not so good relationship with the mother of his son. He also has the added stress of trying to find a woman that will accept him along with his son and baby’s mother.

Despite the issues, Dreux is still a shining example of a millennial dad who is redefining what black fatherhood looks like.  He is not perfect, but he takes care of his child and no one can deny that. He is not looking for recognition or a check from his baby’s mother, he just looks out for the best interest of his son. He is not like other Love and Hip Hop dads who are facing charges for failure to pay child support. He raises his child with little outside financial support. Also, he doesn’t walk around with a chip on his shoulder complaining about being a single dad. He just steps up and does what needs to be done. We should salute Dreux, because he demonstrates what fatherhood should really be. Hopefully, seeing him on the small screen will change someone’s perception of black fathers.

History Lesson: The Seattle Music Scene – Ray Charles and Quincy Jones

When I think about Seattle, Washington, I think about three things. First, Seattle Grace Hospital, the setting for Grey’s Anatomy, second the Seattle Seahawks home of Marshawn Lynch and third never ending rain.  I had no idea that even before Grey’s and Marshawn Seattle, in the 1940s, was home to a vibrant culture of Jazz and a new genre now known as R&B (then called “race records”).  It was a Northwest Renaissance of sorts much like the one in Harlem in the 1920s.

One day in 1948, in the midst of the bubbling Seattle music scene two young men crossed paths – Ray Charles and Quincy Jones.  Ray Charles, a blind pianist from Florida, moved to Seattle because he wanted to move as far away from where he was as possible. Quincy Jones was from the Southside of Chicago.  He went west as a child when his father had to flee Chicago after getting involved with a black organized crime family. 

Upon his arrival in Seattle, Charles found work playing in white clubs in the day time and black clubs at night. His talent was undeniable and word about his performances soon spread around town.  One evening Charles was playing at the Elks Club and 14-year-old Quincy Jones came in determined to see for himself the “blind dude” who was “tearing the place up with his singing and playing.”  Jones certainly found what he was looking for and the two quickly formed a friendship.

Jones was immediately struck by how independent Charles was despite his blindness.  Charles lost his sight at the age of seven, but his mother still made him learn things on his own, and she let him explore the world freely. From that he learned to navigate the world with little to no help.  When he met Jones years later, he had his own apartment, he could cook for himself, and cross the street without being hit.   Jones was also in awe of Charles’ talent for writing and composing music, and he wanted to learn everything he could from him.

Later Charles described Jones saying “He was just an energetic young kid, and he really loved music. He wanted to learn how to write, and of course, I knew how to write, and that drew us together–because I could help him out and show him some things about how to compose.”   Jones would call Charles early in the morning to get help with writing music and even after working all night Charles would get up to help him.  Charles stated that he “could tell that [Jones] wanted to learn…and because I was able to show him some things, that made me happy.”

Unfortunately, these two musicians would have little time together in Seattle. Ray Charles left the city in 1950 to go on tour with the blues singer Lowell Fulson and his band. In 1951, Quincy Jones left for college in Boston, but shortly after, he left school and went on tour with Lionel Hampton‘s band.  Even though their time in Seattle was short, both Charles and Jones credit the city with giving them their big breaks. Charles stated that “Seattle is the town where I made my first record. And if you ever want to say where I got my start, you have to say that.” That record was “Rockin’ Chair Blues” named after another Seattle night club, the Rocking Chair, which was a hit “race record” in 1949. For Jones, it was in Seattle where he had his first opportunity, while still in high school, to go on tour with Lionel Hampton, but he was kicked off the tour bus by Hampton’s wife because he was so young.

Both Ray Charles and Quincy Jones came a long way from smoky night clubs in Seattle, Washington. Charles became an international superstar and a musical pioneer who helped create the genre of R&B.  Some of his greatest hits include “Hit the Road Jack” and “Georgia on my Mind.” Quincy Jones became the super producer behind “Thriller,” Michael Jackson’s record breaking sophomore album which put Pop music on the map. These two men changed the course of music, so it leads one to wonder what would music be if they had never met that night in Seattle.

References

Cassandra Tate.  (2004). Charles, Ray (1930-2004).  Retrieved from http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=5707

Peter Blecha. (2013). Jones, Quincy (b. 1933). Retrieved from http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=10354

President and Fellows of Harvard College. (2007). “Who Mentored Ray Charles?” Retrieved from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy/Celebrities/ray_charles.html

Terry Gross. (2013). “Quincy Jones: The Man Behind the Music.” Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2013/05/27/186052477/quincy-jones-the-man-behind-the-music

Young Fathers are Breaking the Stereotype of Absenteeism

Older people have a lot of negative things to say about my generation. They say millennials (people born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s) are lazy, we only think about ourselves, our music is terrible, and we are afraid of hard work. Well, they can say what they want about us, but we are doing something that older generations should admire. Fathers of my generation are present and active in their children’s lives.

When I am on social media, I constantly see pictures of young dads with their babies. When I am on the MARTA train, I see young families out and about handling their business. Everyday I see young fathers by themselves pushing strollers and taking their children to day care or to the store. Some people would look at these young dads and see only dreds, saggy pants, and tattoos and judge them by their appearance, but I see a new generation of dads. Fathers who might not look like what the general public thinks a dad should look like, but is a father just like any other. No, he might not have on a suit and tie, or khakis and a button down, but he is present with his child. He is spending time with his child, and many times that is more important than anything else especially to the child.

Many young men who are fathers today might have grown up in a house where their father was absent. Because their childhood might not have been picture perfect, it would be very easy for them to say, “My father was not there for me, so I don’t know how to be a father.” If their dad was absent, they have a very convenient excuse to be absent themselves, but they are not. Instead, they are saying, “My father was not there for me, and I don’t want my child to go through the same thing I went through.” Many millennials know what it is like to grow up without one or both parents, so we decided that when we became parents we could not and would not do the same thing to our children.

Young fathers are doing everything they can to strike down the negative stereotype of the absent black dad. While they might not actively focus on trying to change how others perceive them, their actions have that effect. Young dads are keenly aware of what others think of them. They are judged by the way they dress, they are called “thugs,” and are written off by larger society. But, if you look closely, you can see that young fathers are not thugs. They are not making babies and abandoning them. They are taking responsibility for their actions and caring for their families as men should.

Even if their finances are limited and despite the fact that they have to contend with all the negative circumstances that come with being a young African-American male (mass incarceration, police brutality, chronic unemployment, etc.), they still fulfill their parental duties. They teach their children right from wrong, they are there to help when their child scrapes a knee, they are present at birthday parties, and more. They are teachers, nurturers, and protectors, as well as providers, and we need to recognize them for that. So…

Happy Father’s Day to all the young fathers. Keep up the good work!

Thugs? Really? – Questionable Media Coverage After the Death of Freddie Gray

On May 21, 2015 Marilyn Mosby, State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, announced that a grand jury indicted the 6 officers responsible for the death of Freddie Gray, an unarmed 25 year old Baltimore resident. The charges included depraved heart-murder, which carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, involuntary manslaughter, second degree assault, reckless endangerment and more.

Freddie Gray died of spinal injuries he incurred while in police custody. After his death on April 19, 2015, Baltimore was in an uproar. Gray’s death was just the latest among a rash of police killings including the deaths of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO,  Tamir Rice in Cleveland, OH, Eric Garner in New York City, NY, and Walter Scott in North Charleston, SC. For the people of Baltimore, the death of Freddie Gray was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The city erupted. Fire and looting broke out, and hordes of angry teens burned buildings and threw rocks at police vehicles. And, as one would guess, where there was looting, there was the media. Various media outlets – Fox, CNN, msnbc – were documenting the whole story showing nonstop footage of the reckless rioters and ignoring the peaceful protesters. There was also footage of press conferences featuring Baltimore city officials. Everything was fine until Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake made a statement calling the rioters “thugs.”

It was like a whirlwind. Suddenly everyone was a thug and government officials, from the Governor of Maryland to the President of the United States, and news anchors were calling the people of Baltimore thugs. It all came to a head when Baltimore City Councilman Carl Stokes (District 12) spoke freely on CNN. When asked if thugs was the appropriate term to use in reference to the rioters he replied, “Calling them thugs? Just call them Ni**ers! Just call them Ni**gers! No, we don’t have to call people names such as that.”

It got ugly when Fox News began to spread a rumor that the gang members in Baltimore – Blood, Crips, and BGF (Black Guerrilla Family) – came together to kill police. According to the story, the gangs called a truce and were working in concert to take out organized hits on Baltimore city police. It took Nightly Show host Larry Wilmore to get to the bottom of things. In his April 30 episode, he sat down with members of all the gangs. The men told him that they called the truce because it was important for them to show solidarity and unity when calling for peace and justice for Freddie Gray.

When other journalists began to talk to actual gang members, they saw that the men were upset that they were being accused of conspiring to kill cops. They were actually calling for peace and protecting their neighborhood from the looters who were not even from the part of town in which they were looting. One Blood gang member said “We want to tell the people of Baltimore city that the image they are trying to portray of the gangs – the Crips, the Bloods, the BGF – we did not make that truce to harm cops. We are not about to allow you to paint that picture of us.”

Unfortunately, at times like this the media always makes a point to negatively portray black men. Rioters are thugs, gang members are cop killers, and victims are criminals. It never seems to end. Hopefully, the news will one day show some integrity and place blame where it really belongs. In truth, the six officers who callously disregarded Gray’s cries for help and took him on the “rough ride” that ended his life were the real thugs in this story.

FROM BOYZ 2 MEN, INC. stands in unity with Baltimore and the fight for justice!

References

Boyle, L. (2015). The rival gang members who stood against violence in Baltimore: Crips, Bloods, Black Guerrilla Family and Nation of Islam ‘united as black men’ to stand between police and rioters. Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3059143/The-Wire-Unimaginable-scenes-Baltimore-s-Crips-Bloods-Black-Guerrilla-Family-Nation-Islam-unite-black-men-stop-violence.html

Graham, D. A. (2015). The Mysterious Death of Freddie Gray. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/the-mysterious-death-of-freddie-gray/391119/

Perez-Pena, R. (2015). Six Baltimore Officers Indicted in Death of Freddie Gray. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/22/us/six-baltimore-officers-indicted-in-death-of-freddie-gray.html?_r=0

YouTube. (2015). Soledad O’Brien to Journalists – ” Stop Saying Thug ” – CNN – Reliable Sources – May 3, 2015. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_RhO9PMI1k

History Lesson: Great American Boxers – A Legacy of Champions

May 2, 2015 was a historical night. Dubbed the fight of the century, Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Paquiao in Las Vegas, Nevada bringing his record to an astounding 48-0. Although he has his short comings, Mayweather’s talent cannot be denied. He lands punches with spot on accuracy, but he hardly ever gets hit. While he is hailed as the most notable boxer in recent history, Mayweather stands at the feet of a long line of boxing greats.

One of the first boxing greats on U.S. soil was Tom Molineaux. Molineux (Moe-len-oh) was born a slave in Virginia in 1784. He was trained by his father, and he fought against other slaves to entertain his and other slave masters. In one such fight, Molineux’s owner bet on him and won $100,000. For his performance, Molineux was awarded $500 and his freedom. He promptly left Virginia for New York City. Upon learning he could make more money as a fighter across the pond, he worked on a ship to gain passage to Liverpool, England. In England, he fought champion Tom Cribb, and he was defeated twice. However, he would go on to gain his place in history after defeating two other notable British fighters. Molineux died in 1818 in Dublin, Ireland.

Next to win his place in history was boxer Joe Louis. Known affectionately as the Brown Bomber, Louis, born in Lafeyette, Alabama in 1914, would become an American boxing icon. As a professional boxer he was defeated for the first time by German boxer Max Schmeling in 1936, in the midst of Hitler’s reign in Europe. Louis came back from his loss to defeat defending heavyweight champion James Braddock in 1937. Reinvigorated, he fought Schmeling again in 1938 and knocked him out in the first round forever debunking Hitler’s ideas about the superior Aryan race. Schmeling’s defeat was not only a symbol of American victory but also an empowering symbol of strength for black Americans everywhere. Louis died of a heart attack on April 12, 1981.

One of the greatest living boxing legends is, of course, Muhammed Ali. Ali won most American’s hearts after he “shook up the world” on February 25, 1964 defeating Sonny Liston, the then heavy weight champion of the world. Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942. He changed his name to Muhammed Ali after he joined the Nation of Islam in 1964 shortly after defeating Liston. Ali was known for his braggadocios nature. He proclaimed that he was the greatest, and for a time he was. From 1960-1970 he won all 31 of his fights with 24 by knockout. Ali retired in 1981, and in 1984 he announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He has since dedicated much of his time to raising money for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The legacies of these great men demonstrate that Floyd Mayweather is only one name on a long list of world champion boxers. Perhaps what sets him a part the most is that he is fighting at a time when he has enormous control over his own destiny. He was born to humble beginnings in Grand Rapids, Michigan on to February 24, 1977. He rose to become a golden gloves champ, an Olympic medalist, and the WBC, WBA and WAO welterweight champion. He has stated that he will retire in September 2015, and we can only speculate as to how history will remember him.

References

Floyd Mayweather. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 01:35, May 06, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/floyd-mayweather-507718.

Joe Louis. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 01:34, May 06, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/joe-louis-9386989.

Muhammad Ali. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 01:36, May 06, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/muhammad-ali-9181165.

Tom Molineux. (2015). Virgina Historical Society. Retrieved from http://spartacus-educational.com/SLAmolineaux.htm

Tom Molineux. (2014). Spartacus Educational. Retrieved from http://www.vahistorical.org/collections-and-resources/virginia-history-explorer/tom-molineaux

Black Ink’s Richard “O’S**t” Duncan: A Walking Talking Stereotype

As an advocate for black men, I immediately fell in love with VH1’s show Black Ink Crew. The show provides a first hand view inside the life of a young black entrepreneur who runs a tattoo parlor in Harlem called Black Ink Tattoo Studio. Ceaser Emanuel, the owner, and his friends work hard to maintain the shop’s reputation as one of the best tattoo parlors in New York City. One of Ceaser’s friends, who is also a tattoo artist at the shop, is Richard “O’S**t” Duncan. His nickname, O’S**t, should indicate that his life is no bowl of sunshine.

O’S**t is a former college athlete who played football until he tore his ACL and could no longer perform. Art was his backup plan. As a very talented artist, tattooing just came easy to him. His talent is undeniable, but it is often his personal life that is the subject of controversy on the show.

O’S**t has a rainbow coalition of baby mammas, three to be exact. He has one child each with a white woman, a Hispanic woman, and a black woman. In one infamous scene, we see his Hispanic baby mamma get into a fight with one of his girlfriends in a restaurant in front of the children. This event clearly demonstrated that O’S**t has no control over the relationships he has with the women in his life.

Of greater concern, however, are his interactions with the criminal justice system. On the show, O’S**t shared that his mother’s dying wish to him was that he stop getting arrested. He said that as a young man he got arrested a lot, and Black Ink’s camera crew has chronicled his latest bouts with the justice system. He got a gun charge when he was pulled over driving his girlfriend’s car where she kept her service weapon. Police found the gun, and the show has shown O’S**t in and out of court and in and out of the bail bondsman’s office ever since.

If all that is not enough trouble to warrant his nickname, it was recently revealed that O’S**t has a drug and alcohol problem. He has gone on alcohol benders where he disappears from work and is not seen for days. Not only that but he has failed drug tests given to him by his bail bondsman. In one incident, they found powder cocaine in his pocket, and he had to choose between going to jail and going to rehab. He chose rehab.

O’S**t’s story is important because it is one part of a larger conversation about how black people are seen in the media. O’S**t demonstrates everything negative that the world says about black men. People say black men indiscriminately have children all over town with different women. People say black men cannot control themselves with women. Also, people say black men are on drugs and in and out of jail. O’S**t’s sexual exploits, baby mamma’s, drug use, and arrest record make him a walking, talking stereotype.

This is not to say that Richard Duncan is a bad person. In fact, he is not a bad person. He just has the same particular set of problems that come with being an African American man. People in our community can say that Richard is just like any other black guy trying to make it, but what about people outside our communities? If they happen to see the parts of O’S**t’s life that are highlighted on the show, they might begin to think that what people say about black men is true.

So we do need to look at the way black men are portrayed in the media. When Black men on “reality” TV shows are living out the narrative that most people already have of them, it can be problematic for us. It gives people something to point at and say “look at how they behave, I am sure all of them act like that.” When that is the case, the issues we face will only get worse because public perception is everything.

 References

VH1. (2015). Black Ink Crew: O’S**t. Retrieved from http://www.vh1.com/celebrities/ohst/#cast=black_ink_crew

Photos courtesy of VH1

Malcolm X Didn’t Hate White People, He Loved Black People

When Malcolm X called white people devils, he was not talking about any one specific person. He was commenting on the evil that had been done to his people by members of America’s dominant race. Malcolm Little, the man he was before his religious and cultural awakening, had experienced all manner of devilry at the hands of people with white skin. Two of his childhood homes were burned to the ground by white supremacist groups, and he believed his father, who was a proud Garveyite and Baptist preacher, was killed by white racists (Malcolm X, 1964).

So, I think it is fair to say that Malcolm X had his reasons for saying what he said. Those remarks aside, Malcolm was solely concerned with the plight of the “22 million so called Negroes in America.” As a resident of Harlem in the 1940s, he had experienced life in an impoverished community, and he and the other residents were mistreated on a regular basis. Slum lords charged high rent for run down tenements, and merchants charged high prices for inferior goods and services.

To Malcolm, the worst part about living in Harlem was that, even though black people were in the majority, they had no control over their circumstances. They were at the mercy of the property owners and the business people. Under this reality, Malcolm knew that Black people needed a new way of doing things. So, he preached a new philosophy – the economic and political philosophy of Black Nationalism.

According to Malcolm X “The political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that if you and I are going to live in a Black community – and that’s where we’re going to live, cause as soon as you move …out of the Black community into their community, it’s mixed for a period of time, but they’re gone and you’re right there all by yourself again – we must understand the politics of our community and we must know what politics is supposed to produce.”

Malcolm X stated that “the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community [because] until we become politically mature we will always be mislead, lead astray, or deceived or maneuvered into supporting someone politically who doesn’t have the good of our community at heart.”

In addition to controlling politics in the black community, Malcolm also believed that black people should control black money. Malcolm said “The economic philosophy of Black Nationalism means that we should own and operate and control the economy of our community. You can’t open up a black store in a white community. White men won’t even patronize you. And he’s not wrong. He’s got sense enough to look out for himself. You the one who don’t have sense enough to look out for yourself.” He wanted black people to open up and shop in black owned stores because that would keep our money in our community.

He analyzed the problem saying: “When you spend your dollar out of the community in which you live, the community in which you spend your money becomes richer and richer; the community out of which you take your money becomes poorer and poorer. And because these Negroes, who have been mislead [and] misguided, are breaking their necks to take their money and spend it with The Man, The Man is becoming richer and richer, and you’re becoming poorer and poorer. And then what happens? The community in which you live becomes a slum. It becomes a ghetto. The conditions become run down. And then you have the audacity to complain about poor housing in a run-down community. Why you run it down yourself when you take your dollar out.”

Malcolm did not mince words or beat around the bush. He told black people what they needed to know and hoped they would heed his word. While trying to change the black community, Malcolm had no time to worry about people of other races. He spent his time trying to teach black people to love themselves and to invest in their communities. Teaching black people to love themselves under no circumstances translates into teaching them to hate white people.

Reference

Malcolm X. Ballot or the Bullet. Speech. Delivered 12 April 1964.

X, Malcolm & Haley, A. (1964). The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

A History Lesson: Men of the Harlem Renaissance

When slavery ended, Jim Crow was king in the South. The need to be free from oppression prompted African Americans to leave en masse in what would come to be called The Great Migration. Many of those fleeing the South found themselves in the all black metropolis known as Harlem, New York. What they found there, between the end of World War I (1914-1918) and the mid 1930s, was a cultural and artistic revolution like nothing the world had ever seen. African American writers, actors, and musicians were showing the world that their works were just as good if not better than those produced by the dominant society. Among these artists were Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington and Paul Robeson.

Langston Hughes

Paul Von Blum, Senior Lecturer Emeritus in African American Studies at UCLA said “Langston Hughes is important because he was one of the early figures to show the dignity and the beauty of ordinary black life.” His poem “Mother to Son”  is in the voice of a women who tells her son to keep going despite blinding poverty because if she could do it he could. His poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” talks about how black people have known rivers in Africa and rivers in America. With this poem, he illustrates what it means to be a people in the diaspora.

Langston Hughes was born James Mercer Langston Hughes on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. He first found fame in 1920 when “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” was published in The Crisis, the NAACP’s magazine which was run at the time by W.E.B DuBois. In 1921, he came to New York to study at Columbia University. While there, he got involved in the artistic and cultural movement that was happening in Harlem. During his career, he published numerous poems, and contributed greatly to American literature. He died on May 22, 1967.

Duke Ellington

Famous big band leader and scat singer Cab Calloway once said that “Duke Ellington was one of the greatest musicians that ever lived. What he gave music, nobody had ever done it before or after.” Calloway was one of Duke’s contemporaries, but he and other musicians of the time had great respect for him. Duke broke down barriers in music when his 15 piece ensemble became the house band for the whites only Cotton Club. While there, the band became wildly popular, and eventually was able to leave the Cotton Club. The band’s popularity was due to Duke’s ability to write and compose great songs like “Mood Indigo,” “Cotton Tail,” “Sophisticated Lady” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing.” His music was not only performed in clubs, but they were also in heavy rotation on the radio, yet another ground breaking accomplishment for an African America musician.

Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29, 1899, and he began honing his piano skills at age 7. He opted not to fully pursue an academic career in order to become a full time musician. A proud resident of Washington D.C., he joined a band called the Washingtonians which grew to become the band that would captivate Cotton Club goers for years. Over his career, he was awarded 12 Grammys. Three of which he got after his death in 1974.

Paul Robeson

In the documentary Paul Robeson: Here I Stand, historian and professor Martin Duberman said “Paul Robeson believed that if individual blacks would distinguish themselves in a variety of fields whether it be sports or music…they would thereby demonstrate that blacks were capable of doing anything as well as any white.” Paul Robeson not only believed these words, he lived by them. He became a well-known college athlete at Rutgers University, and during the twenties in Harlem he was famous for his acting and singing performances. His repertoire included the stage productions The Emperor Jones, Othello, and Show Boat and in 1925, he was in his first film, Body and Soul. He would go on to star in 12 other films.

Robeson was not only an accomplished stage and screen performer, he was a staunch activist for human rights, and he used his platform as a performer to speak out against the oppression of African Americans. Unfortunately, because of his activism, he was black balled, and he would make his last film, Tales of Manhattan, in 1942. Robeson was born April 9, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey and he died in Philadelphia in 1976. He spent his life traveling the world, entertaining the masses, and fighting to create change for his people.

References

Duke Ellington. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 11:46, Feb 25, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/duke-ellington-9286338.

History.com Staff (2009). Harlem Renaissance. Retrieved February 25, 2015, from http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harlem-renaissance

Langston Hughes. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 11:44, Feb 25, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/langston-hughes-9346313.

Paul Robeson. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 11:45, Feb 25, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/paul-robeson-9460451.

Outkast: Two Positive, Southern Hip Hop Pioneers

Before T. I., Lil Wayne or Young Thug, there were two young men from South who had something to say. These two men grew to become the greatest urban philosophers and social commentators of our generation. They used the voice and platform that hip hop gave them for good and not evil.

Antwan “Big Boi” Patton was born on February 1, 1975 in Savannah, Georgia. He is the oldest of five children born to mother Rowena Patton. Andre “3000” Benjamin was born on May 27, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the only child born to mother Sharon Benjamin and father Lawrence Walker. They both lived in the black neighborhoods of their respective cities and got into trouble as boys often do. But, their saving grace was always music.

As a teenager, Big Boi moved to Atlanta to pursue his dream of becoming a rapper. He enrolled in Tri-Cities Performing Arts High School in East Point, Georgia. There he met Andre. They began to rap together with music from a group of producers called Organized Noize. One of the members of Organized Noize knew LaFace record executive L.A. Reid. In 1994, they signed to LaFace Records, and the rest is history.

Until Outkast, hip hop music, which was created in the Bronx, was dominated by New Yorkers, but this dynamic duo put the South up on the map. Outkast is credited with putting the South on the map because the different flavor of their music made everyone listen. They weren’t gangsta rappers or dope dealers. They were poets who were saying things that needed to be said.

Consider Andre’s Verse on Ya’ll Scared (Track 13, Aquemini). He talks about the crack epidemic in a lyrical and poetic way. He takes you on a journey where you see a 15 year old boy start smoking marijuana. Eventually, he literally smokes his life away. At age 21 he is trying to figure out what happened to his life, and he realizes he spent it trapped in the trap which is another word for an area in a neighborhood where drugs are sold. Then Andre makes a bold statement saying crack hit hard in communities of color, but it didn’t get the right kind of attention until it started ruining the lives of well-to-do white people. This verse is truly social commentary at its best.

Outkast was also different because their hip hop was inspirational. Throughout all their music there is a strong “don’t waste your life” message. In Big Boi’s Verse on Humble Mumble (Track 15, Stankonia), he tells us that life might not always be what we want it to be, but if we have a goal we should go for it. We should not quit when the road gets hard, but, if need be, we must struggle to complete our dreams. We only get one life, and the things we go through will only make us stronger. So, fear of failing should not be a deterrent to us achieving our goals.

It is their “do something better” message added to the Organized Noize sound that brought them 13 Billboard Top 100 hits, two number 1 hits, 6 Grammy wins, including album of the year for Speaker Boxxx/Love Below in 2004, 10 additional Grammy nominations, 4 American Music Awards and not to mention a place in history as hip hop royalty. Hip hop artists today should take note from these young men and say more in their music because they have a platform that allows them to reach the world.

References

Billboard. (2015). Outkast – Chart History. Retrieved from http://www.billboard.com/artist/321442/outkast/chart?f=379

The Recording Academy. December 3, 2009. 46th Annual GRAMMY Award – Album of the Year. Retrieved from http://www.grammy.com/videos/46th-annual-grammy-award-album-of-the-year