Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena HorneFirst performed as a chorus girl at the Cotton Club, 1934Sang for the troops in Germany, WWIIUS Army was still segregatedHorne refused to sing to an audience in which German POWs were seated in front of African-American US soldiersWalked off the stage and sang near the back of the room insteadKKK rally, 1996Jim Crow LawsLynchingCommon in times of social and economic tensionExecution carried out by a mob usually by hangingAlso includes burning at the stake, stoning, and shootingUsed to punish transgressor and intimidate others of that same group
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people, however large or small. It is related to other means of social control that arise in communities, such as charivari, riding the rail, and tarring and feathering. Lynchings were more frequent in times of social and economic tension, and often were means by the politically dominant population to oppress social challengers.
5Emmett TillEmmett Till14-year-old boy from Chicago killed in Mississippi in 1955This event was a major catalyst for the Civil Rights movementForced everyone to question the fairness of Jim Crow laws, segregation, lynching, etc.Strange FruitPoem written in 1936Written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish school teacher in NYCUsed the pen name Lewis AllanPublished in a teachingunion magazineIn reaction to the lynching of two men
Strange Fruit by Abel Meeropol (pen name=Lewis Allan)
8Strange Fruit by Abel Meeropol
Southern trees bear strange fruit,Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant South,The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop,Here is a strange and bitter crop.
"Strange Fruit" was a poem written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish high-school teacher from the Bronx, about the lynching of two black men. He published under the pen name Lewis Allan.[3][4]In the poem, Meeropol expressed his horror at lynchings, possibly after having seen Lawrence Beitler's photograph of the 1930 lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in Marion, Indiana. He published the poem in 1936 in The New York Teacher, a union magazine.
9Later set to music and sung by Billie Holiday
"Strange Fruit" was a poem written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish high-school teacher from the Bronx, about the lynching of two black men. He published under the pen name Lewis Allan.[3][4]In the poem, Meeropol expressed his horror at lynchings, possibly after having seen Lawrence Beitler's photograph of the 1930 lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in Marion, Indiana. He published the poem in 1936 in The New York Teacher, a union magazine.
10Minstrel Show, 1900
Bert Williams, 1910
1922, Advertisement
The Jazz Singer, 1927First talkiefull-length film with dialogueAl Jolson wears blackfaceto perform onstageTrying to hide his trueidentity as a Jewish immigrant
Dumbo, 1941Jim Crow and friendsCritics accuse the film of racial stereotypingOthers reject this claiming . . .The crows are sympathetic charactersFree spirits who are intelligent and self-confidentRibena blackcurrant drink ad,late 1940s
Blackface virtually ended in U.S. with Civil Rights legislation in the 1960sContinues to be a hot button issue
Beyonce in LOfficiel Parismagazine
In their 90th-anniversary issue, the pop icon pays tribute to African culture, donning head wraps and gorgeous gowns. But one picture in particular seems to be getting the most attention. In it Beyonc wears dark face paint, transforming her fair-skinned complexion to a dark brown one. Whoa, right? How could she?Okay, America. Chill out. Not every blackened face is blackface. Theres a fine line between artistry and mockery. And several things must be considered before thinking that Beyonc, of all people,would be the one to spit in the face of her own culture.Brad Wete, EWhttp://music-mix.ew.com/2011/02/23/beyonce-magazine-shoot-blackface/19Japanese dakkochan doll
1960, Time articleJapanese intellectuals, who can be pretty crazy themselves, have been quick to discover social significance in the dakkochan's black skin. Citing the growing popularity of Negro jazz. Artist Setsu Nagasawa argues that "a Negro culture wave seems to be sweeping Japanese youth." Novelist Tensei Kawano, who has featured Negroes in four books, asserts: "We of the younger generation are outcasts from politics and society. In a way we are like Negroes, who have a long record of oppression and misunderstanding, and we feel akin to them." The Softies. Toymaker Suda, who would like to know how to do it again, has also tried to get at the reason behind the fad by tape-recording interviews with hundreds of customers waiting to buy dakkochans. The replies are sociologically disappointing. Some teen-agers say they are buying a dakkochan because their friends have bought dakkochans. The vast majority, however, reply with one or another variant of "It's so cute and lovable that I just have to have one."A Raisin in the Sun
modern film trailerA Raisin in the SunReading ScheduleDue Friday, 3/18: Act I, scenes 1 & 2 (p75)Due Monday, 3/21: Act II, scene i (p95)Due Tuesday, 3/22: Act II, scene ii (p109)Due Wednesday, 3/23: Act II, scene iii (130)Due Thursday, 3/24: Act III (p151)Friday, 3/25: Wrap-up discussion Page 75(Act I, Scene ii)23Times article Dakkochan:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,939182,00.html Blackface montage from Bamboozled: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C45g3YP7JOkRibena blackcurrant drink ad:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vQ90_PhSCM&feature=related
