Bas bleu
My name is Alaina and this is
my commonplace book, circa 2007 - present.
My name is Alaina and this is
my commonplace book, circa 2007 - present.
Soul Train had double duty, to not only produce a show, but they also had to provide ALL of the production for the Johnson beauty products commercials that was funding the show. often using the set and the soul train gang (they became soul train dancers in 1976) as lead actors.
the genius of it all was THIS was the first time that black people were proud to be called AFRICAN.
psssh before 1971?—i mean on the real…til like the early 80s on some schoolyard insult game ish? if someone called you “african” that was the most insulting degrading lower than low “im finna f**k you up” type of insult.
i know right? why? to control our mentality during the slave period we were taught we were the lowest of low. to control us AFTER slavery during the jim crow era we were taught we were the lowest of low.
the first introduction to entertainment (of which we were allowed to participate) was minstrel entertainment an over exaggerated buffoon display of shame and ugliness that we STILL CARRY TO THIS DAY (minus the makeup) (hello hip-hop….but that is another piece altogether).
to say with a straight, dignified face that BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL was the RISKIEST radical life-changing move that america has seen. and amazingly enough for one hour for one saturday out the week, if you were watching soul train….it became contagious. next thing you know you are actually believing you have some sort of worth.
the whole idea of Afrocentrism in my opinion manifested and spread with Soul Train in its first 6 years.
i saw the impact it had on my mom and dad and how they let the impact trickle down to my sister and me. i mean i was BORN into it: so i came in this world thinking every african american had it just like i did: some funky dressing, proud, knowledgable parents who since birth exposed me to every record known to man and who kept my crown (make no mistake, i’d cry “mommy cut it off the kids are teasing me!”) on my head as a symbol that one day i would be “a mighty leader”…
(Source: okayplayer.com)
