A Weighty Subject - Being Thick In African American Culture

Edited by Azizi Powell

Kids are cruel. When I was a child, I was so thin & so shy that I was an easy target for these words from the Rock n Roll song “Boney Macaroni”:

"I got a girl name boney macaroni
She’s as skinny as a piece of macaroni"
-snip-
I’m much older now, and I’ve gained much more weight and developed much more self-confidence. But I still remember being teased because I was so thin (I still don’t like the word “skinny”). Even when the mainstream media said that “thin was in” and promoted that really thin British woman name Twiggy as what an attractive female body should look like, I knew they weren’t talking to me & my people. Most Black people like women with meat on their bones. Take R&B artist/actress Beyonce for an example. She’s a big boned Black woman. Black folks like big boned women who can shake what their mama gave them (meaning of course, their b. u. t. t.).

Another way that Black folks (In the USA) refer to females or males being “big boned” is “thick”. Being “thick” is cool, but if you’re too thick or real thick, you’ll get teased just as much as if you are real thin. For instance, check out YouTube videos about the stomp and shake type of cheerleading that Black folks started in North Carolina & Virginia around the late 1970s. Invariably, the comment thread of those videos includes people writing about how there’s too many fat girls on those squads and how everybody knows that cheerleaders can’t have all that weight. Take this video for instance:

Work It (Cheer)



Uploaded by rsharpe4 on Jun 4, 2008
-snip-
Here’s what two cheerleaders wrote in response to comments that cheerleaders have to be a certain weight:
"WhYy iS EVERYONE COMiN iN hERE TAlkiN AbOUT hOW FAT ThEYy ARE.. i AM A THiCkk ChEERlEAdER ANdd i AM GOOd AT WhAT idO..All ChEERlEAdERS ARENT SkiNNYy YA kNOW....i hAVE ChEEREd MAYbE 500 GAMESx ANdd i hAVE SEEN iT All..iT dOESNT MATTER hOW BiG YOU ARE, iF YOU WANT TO ChEER, ChEER. NOT All ThE SkiNNYy ChEERlEAdERS ARE GOOd ChEERlEAdERS SO WhYy WOUld YOU WANT TO dESCRiMiNATE AGAiNST ThE BiG ONES...MAYbE i Will hAVE TO UPlOAd A VidEO OF OUR SQUAd ANd lET YOU SEE hOW iT dONE WiT ThE ThiCk GiRlS.
-sasha2012; 2010
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"It doesnt matter how skinny or thick you are....as long as you can get out on the field &work it just as hard as any other cheerleader...then do so! Im a FAT cheerleader &iwork just as hard as the skinny girls on my team...if not harder! SIZE DOESNT MATTER....SO KILL IT!
-cheercandi07; 2011"
-snip-
You go, girls!

Nowadays, there are health campaign about how Black folks (and other folks) need to eat better and lose weight in order to live better & live longer. I’m all for these campaigns and I know that I need to lose some weight. But while I applaud those campaigns, I believe we also need some “Be kind to others” campaigns that remind people that no matter what size you are, it’s what inside that counts.
-snip-
[Content Revision 1/2/2013]

Here are four additional videos that are presented in no particular order for your enjoyment and to further illustrate my comments about stomp & shake cheerleading squads's acceptance of "heavier" build females:

Example #1: The World Renown Woo Woos of Virginia State University



Uploaded by GoTrojans on Sep 30, 2010
2009 Freedom Classic
January 2009, Richmond, VA
-snip-
Cheer name -"Let's Go"
Viewer comment:
"These are the beautiful bodies of black women w/o much effort on our parts..we R fine tuned, we R strong & in shape, physical endurance, swag &all. Thats whats wrong w/ society now..all of this anorexia & bulimia BS..2 many ppl buying into the LIE that thin is all that! This is what a body that's been fed w/ mom's home cooking & MILK looks like. We R fine & we know it...long be4 Kim Kardash & JLo there was Thelma on Good times & all of us around the way gurls! Ya'll R Beautiful curves & all!"
-HearNSee1; November 2011

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Example #2: VUU Homecoming The Rah-Rah's & Alumni



Stephanie Paige, Oct 25, 2009

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Example #3: Howard University [Washington D.C.] Battle Cheer



CoachSpence October 19, 2006

Howard University Battle Cheer "Sit Back Down"

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Example #4: Bring it On: Manning High School vs. Timberland High School



anidragraham2009,
Uploaded on Oct 8, 2010

MHS cheerleaders going head to head in a cheer-off against THS.
[Timberland High School] South Carolina.

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIcLsCHKglw for several comments in this video's viewer comment thread about the tradition of cheer battles.

Also click http://cocojams.com/content/childrens-cheerleader-cheers for this cheer video, two of those comments, and numerous text examples of children's and teens' mainstream cheerleader cheers/stomp & shake cheers.
-snip-
The text for the cheers in the first three videos can be found on this page of my cultural website: http://www.cocojams.com/content/stomp-and-shake-cheerleader-cheers

To clarify, I'm not asserting that the females in these videos are what African Americans would call "thick" ("heavyset"). However, it seems to me that at least some of the members of these stomp & cheer squads don't fit the slender body build which is thought to be the ideal female body build for mainstream American cheerleaders.

RELATED LINKS
Here's a link to a post that I wrote on another blog: http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/07/21/race-and-the-changing-shape-of-cheerleading/
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/videos-of-african-musical-productions.html Video #3: Umoja - The Spirit Of Together 2
(4:43-6:50) for examples of "thick" (big boned) South African female dancers. The build of those dancers suggests that South Africans also share African Americans' perceptions of what are acceptable, and valued body weights for adult females.

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Update 1/2/2013:
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jnwq5Pq40A Seven Videos Of Botswana Music Group "Culture Spears"

I added a comment to that post that the female dancers' attire reminded me of the flared skirts that some stomp & shake cheerleaders wear. I also wrote that it would be interesting if some stomp & shake squads were to incorporate some of the movements that these Botswana female dancers perform.

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Black Gospel Mime Featuring K&K Mime

Written by Azizi Powell

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mime_artist: "A mime artist (from Greek "μίμος"—mimos, "imitator, actor") is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech".

"Gospel Mime" is considered by those who have that calling to be a Christian ministry in which an individual, duo, trio, or group uses mime performed to recorded Gospel music to praise & worship God.

Although there may have been earlier Black Gospel mimes because of their creativity and skilled miming Keith & Karl Edmonds (K&K Mime) are generally recognized as the founders of Black Gospel mime.

Identical twins Keith & Karl Edmonds started miming in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1987. My daughter also attended high school with Keith & Karl Edmonds. And when we saw them perform in the mid to late 1990s, I knew they would do great things with their mime ministery.

From http://www.blackgospel.com/interviews/kandkmime/
Posted: March.2005
"K&K Mime are widely known as the Godfathers of Gospel Mime, an artistic, choreographed, liturgical performance that reinterprets the lyrical content and powerful crescendos found in Gospel music. The result is an emotional outpouring and spiritual climax from the audience that’s generated by lovely movements, controlled and timely gesticulations. K&K Mime are by far the masters in this ministry. Their ministry has drawn admiration and support from the likes of Dr. Bobby Jones, Pastor Donnie McClurkin and Kirk Franklin. And their appeal has spawned a new generation of mime artists across the country."
-snip-

To learn more about Black Gospel mime, as well as the closely related ministry "Black praise dancing", and other related ministeries such as Gospel signing (American Sign Language), visit this page of my website http://www.cocojams.com/content/black-gospel-mime-praise-dancing-ministries That page also includes a number of selected YouTube videos of Black Gospel mime, Black praise dancing, and Gospel signing.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: K&K Mime – "Stand" (Mime)



Uploaded by SweetieTreats on Feb 27, 2008

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Example #2: K&K Mime - God Is Here



Uploaded by SweetieTreats on Feb 27, 2008

Another K&K Mime inspiration to everyone. Two ministers devoting their life to sharing their gift of mime to the world. You are truly a blessing!

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UPDATE: September 30, 2014

Example #3: K&K Mime doing the old time favorite "Order My Steps"



marmont34, Uploaded on Feb 24, 2012

K&K Mime doing the old time favorite "Order My Steps" Enjoy and please leave us your comment on this song!

-snip-

Thank you,Keith & Karl Edmonds for blessing the world with your Gospel mime ministry.

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Hollywood Shuffle Movie Scene - Black Acting School (video & comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post highlights the creativity of and the serious messages clothed in comedic language in Robert Townsend's 1987 movie Hollywood Shuffle. "Produced, directed, and co-written by Robert Townsend, the film is semi-autobiographical, reflecting Townsend's experiences as a black actor when he was told he was not “black enough” for certain roles".http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Shuffle

This post focuses on the powerfully scripted & portrayed "Black Acting School" scenes from that now classic movie.

Warning: This video contains profanity and therefore may not be suitable for viewing by children.

Hollywood Shuffle (1987): Black Acting School Scene

trademarktaz, Published on Jan 11, 2013



Scene from the 1987 film Hollywood Shuffle starring Robert Townsend
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093200/

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Black Acting School Hollywood Shuffle 1987



kingcoose1 Published on Jan 13, 2014
-snip-
This clip is the end of the scene that is shown above.

-snip-
Selected comments from the discussion thread of an apparently no longer available video Uploaded by boobidyboo on Jul 18, 2009 which I had originally embedded in this post:
2010
LydiaTangos
Though this is quite funny, I hope everyone realizes that this film parodies black stereotypes to bring attention to the fact that white people in power create the black man's image (stupid, violent, etc.) in film and television, not just for an ironic laugh. Townsend criticizes distorted representations of groups in the media in a smart and entertaining way. "

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-sistag1rl,
"This movie was WELL ahead of its time; and sadly, not much has changed for us in terms of representation on the big and small screens."


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hinata750
"a white guy is the instructor of jive one o one lol"

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dyedm6
"really shows how white people are behind the camera and really show how they create the "stereotypes" for black people!"

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2011
brownhornet22
"This movie was made in 1987. Sadly, not much has changed (anyone see "The Help"?). And the white man's influence over our images has taken over the rap game, showcasing only the most ignorant bull___* to make money while making us look like fools."
-snip-
*expletive deleted by pancocojams editor

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Eseercam
"Wow......This is still halarious! White people teaching people how to act "hood" U couldn't even think of trying to get away w/ a scene like this in today's movies! LMAO!!!"

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jefftheposter
" "i don't why we leavin massa. he feed us sataday , cloth us on sunday & then beat us on monday" "

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sambam2694
"You know the movie is a Comedy, but if you watch the movie you would realize it is seriousness involved in the joke. Have you ever watched good times. Perfect example Jimmie Walker is collge educated, and sounds nothing like JJ. But people never realized this because of these stereotypes of hollywood. Going to auditions, and someone truly says your not black enough. "

-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Shuffle for more information on this African American movie.

Thank you,Robert Townsend!

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Akata Is A Mean Spirited Word

Written by Azizi Powell

It might suprise African Americans to know that some Africans don't have love for African Americans. Indeed, some Africans-I'm looking at you Nigerians-use an informal referent for African Americans that I think is quite mean spirited. That referent is "Akata".

I think "akata" is pronounced ah-KAH-tah. But I'm not sure. Actually, although I've met a number of Nigerians (mostly Yorubas and Igbos) in my adopted city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I've never heard the word "akata" spoken. And I've never been directly referred to by that word-or at least I don't think I have.

My knowledge of the word "akata" is very new. I found out about that referent last week when I happened upon on this 2006 discussion thread http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-12835.0.html "Re: Akata?". (By the way "Nairaland" and "Naija" are hip, modern ways of saying "Nigeria" and "Nigerian"). From that discussion thread, I learned that there are various theories about the origin & meanings of the word "akata". Most commenters on that thread thought that akata was a word of Yoruba origin. While a few commenters on that discussion thread took the position that "akata" wasn't necessarily negative, most commenters agreed that that word had a meaning similar to what Americans call "the n word". Some commenters gave the source meaning of "akata" as "wild cat", "wild fox", or "goat". But those source meanings seemed speculative to me. The word "ataka" gained some publicity in the USA by its inclusion in the 1994 Wesley Snipes movie Sugar Hill. Brotha Wesley played a drug dealer who beat on some Naijas who called him "akata" after he learned that (according to them) "akata" meant "cotton picker". However, one commenter discounted that "cotton picker" was what akata really meant because there is no word in Yoruba for "cotton".

Here are several excerpts from that lengthy nairaland.com discussion thread:
Join me in the middle of ecstasy; [tag name] 2008
..."well when I was in Nigeria, people often referred to black americans as "akatas" which is a very stubborn animal kinda like a goat. I know I wouldn't appreciate being called that. But many people back home thought many black americans lacked manners and home training and are very stubborn which is why they nicknamed them "akata". Even till today here in the states, many Nigerians still call black americans "akata" even if its not supposed to mean something negative. It just became a name that stuck.

Also when someone acts in defiance or is very stubborn, Nigeriians say "why are you beiing such an akata?" clearly this is a stereotype as not every black american is "akata"-ish."
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Drusilla (f) June 13, 2006
..."Any African American who hears somebody calling them an Akata, should have the exact reaction [African American commenter] Hero did and cuss the person out.

Better yet, pull out a roll of toilet paper and offer to send it to Nigeria for their mama to learn of this new toilet paper technology.

It's an insult. Why play?"

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food4tot ; June 14, 2006
"The use of the word can be banned but I don't see that happening in Nigeria for instance. Even Americans born to Nigerian parents are called "akata" by their uncles, aunties, cousins (when the go back to Nigeria).

Its a nickname, and sometimes it is used to tease "akatas" about their foreign outlook. I know Nigerians like teasing people just to get them wound up.

You can ban it in US but you will need to do a lot to ban the use of such words in Nigeria. They will just keep on teasing you just to see your colour go red(if you have a very pale skin). That redness would be an amusement to them and they wont stop taunting you until you grow a thick skin to it. That is when they might stop."

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Drusilla (f); June 14, 2006
"food4tot,
It's not about banning. It's not about not calling names. African Americans love to play the dozens as well.

You know and I know, that there are things about Nigeria and Nigerians that if said in public company would make every Nigerian want to crawl in a hole and die. (Unless they are Black people. )

So African Americans are not unarmed if someone wants to play the name calling game.

It is the pretense that this is not what is being said, that bothers me.

Don't piss on me and pretend you are giving me water."

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I'm just loving the last line of that last excerpted comment. I think I'll borrow it. It sounds so African.

Here's my bottom line. I'm African American and I believe that "akata" is a mean spirited word. As we Black Americans say "Come on, son (or daughter). For those not in the know, that means "You can do better than that". So my Naija peeps, when I chastise you, know that I do it out of love.

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To show that I still love all my Naija family, here are two Nigerian videos that I really like:

Fela Kuti - Teacher Don't teach Me No Nonsense



evad6832,·Uploaded on Apr 27, 2007

fela kuti live

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Darey - "Ba Ni Kidi"



Uploaded by DareyOnline on Apr 27, 2011

"A really fun song with plenty of energy, rhythm and non stop action! The vibe is addictive and sure to get you moving something!!!'Ba Ni Kidi' means 'Give MeThe Beat'. Directed &Produced by Mark Hofmeyr and Soul Muzik."

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Verbal Engagement During Black Communication

Written by Azizi Powell

Call & response patterns not only shape and influence African American music. They also shape African American communication. "Verbal engagement" is my term for a call & response pattern of communication that influences African American communication expectations and permeates that communication. "Verbal engagement" is indicated by the words and sounds that a listerner intersperses during a conversation. Those words & sounds confirm that he or she is listening and involved in that conversation. Examples of verbal engagement are words or sentences such as "Yeah", "Yeah?" ,"You got that right", "I know what you mean", and "Get out of here!" "Verbal engagement" is also expressed by tonal sounds such as "Un hun" and "Hun?", Un un-n". If a listerner fails to engage during an African American conversation, if he or she remains silent too often or too long and doesn't add verbal engagement terms to that conversation, it's probable that that person speaking will consider that listerner to be rude or to have disengaged from the conversation.

I believe that these African American rules of verbal engagement are also found throughout African & other African Diaspora cultures. However, it's my sense that those White American and White European cultures may not have the same call & response verbal engagement rules. Instead of interspersing conversations with words, sentences, or tonal language, I gather that White people "wait their turn", waiting to speak after the other person has finished speaking. Also, it seems to me (admittedly from the outside looking in), that White people see no social imperative to signal that they have heard a conversation that they may or may not agree with. Perhaps they might be silent because they are thinking about what was said to determine if they agree or disagree with the whole or parts of that conversation. No rudeness, disinterest, or disengagement might have been intended, but given the different ways that Black people have been socialized to view communication, we may indeed mis-interpret that silence as rudeness, disinterest, or disengagement. The possibility for misinterpretation may also occur during written communication between Black people and non-Black people in online social networks such as facebook. Discussion threads about racism or cultural diversity in which the Black person is "the only one" (meaning the only Black person) or one of few Black people participating in that discussion are particularly ripe for verbal engagement misinterpretations. When I willingly engage in such online discussions often as a result of being asked to do so), I have to remind myself that the lack of confirming, reinforcing, questioning, disputing, or just plain thanking responses doesn't necessarily mean that the White people reading my comment disagree with what I have said. I also have to remind myself not to interpret their lack of response as being rude, disinterested, or disengaged. Instead, I try to remember that they were socialized differently than me, and don't see the need to immediately respond to verbal or written communication if they don't feel that they have anything of value to add to the discussion.

Rules of communication are usually unwritten. People learn those rules as a result of interacting in that particular society. Problems occur when we are raised to believe that our way of communicating, responding during communication, and responding to communication are the only way, or are the only right way. One of the reasons why I wrote this post is to help me remember this.

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The following three videos are re-posted as examples of call & response communication styles in certain African American churches. Note that the congregation of these churches are expected to respond during the sermon to the minister's words. Also note that standing up is one socially approved way of responding to what is being said or sung by the minister or what is being sung by the choir and/or the congregation. These same affirming, engaging responses made by many Black people during concerts/performances of most Black secular music and Black people also often stand up & move our body during non-religious performances.

Sermons by Rev C L Franklin


Uploaded by Bohles128 on Apr 10, 2009

[Clarence LaVaughn Franklin (often abbreviated to C. L. Franklin) (January 22, 1915 – July 27, 1984), was an American Baptist minister, a civil rights activist, and father of the legendary soul and gospel singer Aretha Franklin]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._L._Franklin

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Pastor Jerry D. Black Preaching 'Wolf Country' Mean Hearted People [excerpt]



Uploaded by BrothaRollins on Jan 20, 2007

Powerful sermon about living in the midst of wolves and mean people.

In his summary statement the uploader provided information about Pastor Jerry D. Black including the following:
"...at the age of 21, Reverend Black accepted his calling to preach the Gospel. He was called and served as pastor of the Greater Paradise Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. During his 15 years of service to Greater Paradise, the church membership grew from 17 members to over 3000. During that time, Pastor Black also had a very popular television and radio ministry in Little Rock..."

"that video was recorded in 2005...
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7JBqBAfSzs to find more information about Pastor Jerry D. Black.

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Old Time Preaching, Shouting and Singing



Uploaded by RevSinkiller on Mar 6, 2010

Taken from the [1964] movie "Nothing But A Man." This is a beautiful snapshot of church back in the 1960's, the likes we don't hear as much these days.

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Pittsburgh's Zombie Day, African & Caribbean Zombies

Written by Azizi Powell

October 8th was Zombie day in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and I missed it. My daughter called me earlier tonight and told me that she also had forgotten about Pittsburgh's Zombie day until she was driving through downtown Pittsburgh and saw a couple of folks with their faces painted like zombies. Last year we didn't even know that Pittsburgh had a Zombie day tradition until we happened upon a Zombie Parade. Here's a video of Pittsburgh Zombie day followed by the comment that I wrote on that video's viewer comment thread [Both are posted with typos uncorrected]

Pittsburgh Zombie Fest 2010



Uploaded by profmc2 on Aug 31, 2010

Commercial for Pittsburgh Zombie Fest, a celebration of zombie culture and Pittsburgh's horror heratige taking place on 10.10.10. Charity zombie walk part of World Zombie Day, all organized and sponsored by The It's Alive Show, a horror host TV show. www.theitsaliveshow.com

-snip-
My daughter & I jiust happened to be driving through downtown Pittsburgh when we saw hordes of zombies -everything from brides, santa claus, ballerinas, dead Steeler fans, chain saw victims, doctors & nurses, & more. We also saw people in  Ghostbusters costumes. It was a racially diverse crowd of people-men, women, children, & babies too. Zombies were in character dragging their feet, falling, moaning, & staring straight ahead. It looked like lots of fun. Thanks Pittsburgh for a great event!
-Azizip17 ; 2010

-snip-

Here's an excerpt from http://steelcitysupernatural.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/pittsburghs-zombie-fest/ which explains why Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has hosted an annual Zombie fest for the last five years:

Zombie Fest is founded by Mark Menold, who also hosts the event as the undead Professor Emcee Square. With thousands in attendance, this spectacle recreates the scenes from the original zombie film classics on a grand scale.

By virtue of the success of the movies from Pittsburgh pioneer filmaker George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow), and our now world famous zombie walks, Pittsburgh has become what Mr. Menold refers to as “The Zombie Capital of the World”.

Pittsburgh has owned the Guinness Book Record for most zombies three times but currently does not hold that record. The record was broken on July 2nd, 2011 by Seattle with 4,522 zombies. When asked if that number can be topped this year, Menold said; “Zombies are our own pop-culture bragging right and are a recognized as part of our city’s heritage. I liken this to another city trying to buy one of our sports teams. It’s important that we take the world record back from Seattle, it’s a matter of civic pride.”

This year’s Zombie Fest promises to bring the world record back to Pittsburgh where it belongs.

http://www.pu-zine.com/2011/10/world-zombie-day-2011-is-this-saturday.html provides more information about Pittsburgh's Zombie fest and encourages people to sign up for the event.

That's right gang - this is a WORLDWIDE event meaning we are actually competing with other cities across the globe! From Adelaide, Australia to Worcester, England - the entire world is out to best Pittsburgh as the Zombie Capital of the World (which we all know isn't the case - Pittsburgh is the birthplace of the zombie!).

Pittsburgh has been my adoptive home since 1969. I love its scenic vistas and along with most Pittsburghers, I'm a fan of its black & gold sports teams. I also cheer on most of the burgh's other cultural events,including Zombie Day. But "Pittsburgh is the birthplace of the zombie"?. Well, not really.

The following quotes provide some information about the African & Caribbean origin of zombies:

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie

Zombie (Haitian Creole: zonbi; North Mbundu: nzumbe) is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft...

Since the late 19th century, zombies have acquired notable popularity, especially in North American and European folklore.

In modern times, the term "zombie" has been applied to an undead race in horror fiction, largely drawn from George A. Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. They have appeared as plot devices in various books, films and in television shows...

"Zombi" is also another name of the Vodou snake lwa Damballah Wedo, of Niger–Congo origin; it is akin to the Kikongo word nzambi, which means "god". There also exists within the West African Vodun tradition the zombi astral, which is a part of the human soul that is captured by a bokor [sorcerer] and used to enhance the bokor's power.

-snip-

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombi_(African_god)

Zombi is the name of a snake-deity in some cults of West African Vodun and Haitian Vodou (Voodoo). Zombi is a Creole word, thought to be derived from Nzambi,[1] supreme god of the Bacongo people of Angola. The deity is connected with water and appears in different impersonations, one being Zombi-Damballah, the rainbow serpent.

I like the idea of Pittsburgh's Zombie Fest because it provides an opportunity for folks of all ages, genders, and races to gather together to have harmless fun. But I admit that a part of me has some reservations about this event because zombies used to be associated with the "Hollywoodfication" of the African (and Caribbean, and South American) religion of Vodou. But it appears to me that most people nowadays in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania don't associate zombies with Caribbean voodoo. They associate them with horror movies. So instead of being bent out of shape about the tradition of Zombie fests in Pittsburgh and other cities, I use this event as an opportunity to raise awareness about African and Caribbean religions and cultures.

The first part of this 10 minute 2005 video about the Caribbean nation of Haiti provides some information about beliefs in zombies within that nation:

Zombie - 70min documentary



Uploaded by journeymanpictures on May 7, 2008

March 2005

-snip-

Visit http://www.erzulies.com/site/articles/view/5 for information about the religion of Vodou in Haiti.

-snip-

Because I love oldies but goodies music from the islands, I feel I must include a Calypso version of the now almost classic song "Zombie Jamboree". That song is also known by the "Back to Back Belly To Belly" lyrics from its chorus. Calypso versions of that song may sing "Jumbee Jamboree".*

Calypso Joe - Zombie Jamboree



Here's a link to the lyrics of "Jumbee (Zombie) Jamboree": http://www.akh.se/lyrics/zombie_jamboree.htm

* From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbee

A Jumbee, Jumbie or Mendo is a type of mythological spirit or demon in the folklore of some Caribbean countries. Jumbee is the generic name given to all malevolent entities; however, there are numerous kinds of jumbees, that reflect the Caribbean’s complex history and ethnic makeup, drawing on African, Amerindian, East Indian, Dutch, English, and even Chinese mythology

For what it's worth, I'm not sure whether Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania reclaimed the title this year of The World's Largest Zombie Fest. But if we didn't do so, there's also next year.

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Occupy Wall Street's Human Microphone Strategy & Call and Response Songs

Written by Azizi Powell
[updated with another video - 10/21/2011]

[updated with a link to another blog post on mic check - 12/3/2011]

The "human microphone" is a referent for the call & response pattern of communication that is being used in Occupy Wall Street, an ongoing series of demonstrations in New York City to protest social and economic inequality, corporate greed, and the influence of corporate money and lobbyists on government, among other concerns. The "human microphone" communication strategy is when groups of people repeat the exact same words that a recognized speaker has said. Here's an excerpt from an online article about Occupy Wall Street's human microphone communication strategy:
http://www.npr.org/2011/10/06/141109428/the-nation-we-are-all-human-microphones October 6, 2011; The Nation: We Are All Human Microphones
by Richard Kim
"Anyone who's been down to Occupy Wall Street and stayed for a General Assembly will instantly recognize the call and response that begins, and frequently interrupts, each meeting.

"Mic check?" someone implores.
"MIC CHECK!" the crowd shouts back, more or less in unison.

The thing is—there's no microphone. New York City requires a permit for "amplified sound" in public, something that the pointedly unpermitted Occupy Wall Street lacks. This means that microphones and speakers are banned from Liberty Plaza, and the NYPD has also been interpreting the law to include battery-powered bullhorns. Violators can be sentenced for up to thirty days in prison...

So despite all the attention given to how Twitter, Facebook and livestream video have helped spread the word, the heart of the occupation is most definitely unplugged. But the protesters aren't deterred one bit; they've adopted an ingeniously simple people-powered method of sound amplification. After the mic check, the meeting proceeds:
with every few words/ WITH EVERY FEW WORDS!
repeated and amplified out loud/REPEATED AND AMPLIFIED OUT LOUD!
by what has been dubbed/BY WHAT HAS BEEN DUBBED!
the human microphone/THE HUMAN MICROPHONE!!! (jazz hands here).

The overall effect can be hypnotic, comic or exhilarating—often all at once. As with every media technology, to some degree the medium is the message. It's hard to be a downer over the human mic when your words are enthusiastically shouted back at you by hundreds of fellow occupiers, so speakers are usually pretty upbeat (or at least sound that way). Likewise, the human mic is not so good for getting across complex points about, say, how the Federal Reserve's practice of quantitative easing is inadequate to address the current shortage of global aggregate demand…so speakers tend to express their ideas in straightforward narrative or moral language…

It is, of course, ironic that New York City's attempt to crackdown on political protest by restricting "amplified sound" unwittingly ended up contributing to the structural strength of its rowdiest protest in decades. But like in Egypt or Argentina or Belarus or other places where the authorities sought to silence speech, the people found a way to be heard.

So how about it, can I get a mic check for this one: The people have the power."
-snip-
By the way, I think the "jazz hands" that Richard Kim, the author of that article referred to is the way that applause or approval is indicated in American Sign Language.

Here's a video example of Occupy Wall Street's human microphone communication strategy:

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET "Human Megaphone" in One Police Plaza - 9/30/2011



Uploaded by NOATSFilms on Oct 1, 2011

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET uses a practice called "Human Megaphone" to help deliver a speech to the masses. Public address systems and megaphones have not been allowed by the NYPD through the entire occupation. Guess this is how people addressed large crowds before electricity.
-snip-
Most of the shouted words in this video are difficult to understand, but here's my attempt at transcription with words I don't understand represented by question marks. Please correct any mistakes.:

???
You have opened this space.
We are what people are talking about.
And doing something about.
Runaway ? power.
You have broken our democracy.
Outrageous inequality.
Cruel actions
including actions of the police
You have shined a light on
the actions in this city
You can’t keep us from freedom of assembly.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/12/using-mic-check-as-form-of-protest.html for a pancocojams blog post entitled "Using Mic Check As A Form Of Protest".

Perhaps the most commonly known form of "call & response" in the United States is its use in various genres of African American music. In one form of call & response songs, a soloist sings a short line and another person or persons or the entire group repeats the exact same words that the leader sang. Here's an example of that form of call & response:

"Racing With The Sun", Ella Jenkins and the Goodwill Spiritual Choir of Monumental Baptist Church



Uploaded by caroldeniseify on Apr 12, 2011

Lyrics: (repeat every line)

Get your day’s work done
Get your day’s work done
Or soon you’ll be
Racing with the sun.
Make your plans today
Fore the evening’s on
Or you’ll end up
Racing with the sun

Hard, hard, times
That you’ve had
Hard, hard times
But today you’re mighty glad.

'Cause your work’s all through
And your battle’s won
Now you’ll never never be
Racing with the sun.
-snip-
In some forms of call & response songs the group sings a different short phrase than the one that the soloist sand. That same short phrase is usually repeated after each line of the song. The soloist might also ask a question and the response is given as an answer to that question. The African American Gospel song "Certainly Lord" is an example of this form of call & response song.

"Certainly Lord" (1978)- Rev. Ruben Willingham



Uploaded by JayEm86 on May 22, 2008
-snip-
The first question that the soloist in this song asks is "Have you got good religion?" The response is "Certainly, Lord". That same pattern was used for the 1960s civil rights song with the same title. In that song, the first question asked is "Do you want your freedom?" The response remains "Certainly, Lord". However, in my experience, the civil rights song had a faster tempo than the spiritual version of "Certainly Lord". Visit this page of my Cocojams website http://www.cocojams.com/content/african-american-civil-rights-songs African American Civil Rights Songs to find two other videos of the Gospel version of that song, as well as the words to a civil rights version of that song.

I think that it's very fitting that the call & response strategy is being used in this newest civil rights movement. To quote Bruce Foster (bwf27), a commenter on the above link Nation's article:

The voice of the people..
THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE..
Can and will be heard.
CAN AND WILL BE HEARD.

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Rhiannon Giddens - "We Are the 99" at Occupy Wall Street



Uploaded by LouannDorrough on Oct 17, 2011

Rhiannon Giddens, of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, leads the crowd at Zuccotti Park in singing her song, "We Are the 99," on October 16, 2011.

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Deconstructing The Caricature of Zip Coon & Other Minstrel Black Dandies

Edited by Azizi Powell

Zip Coon



Uploaded on Feb 3, 2010

Performed by the 2nd South Carolina String Band

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In order to truly become post-racial, I believe that we need to recognize the racist memes that have influenced the past and that still influence the present. This post serves as an introduction for some to the minstrel character "Zip Coon", and other minstrel Black dandies. Nowadays, these stereotypes of Black males aren't as well known by names as the stereotypes of the shufflin, wide eyed, superstitious, child-like Coons/Sambos.

By no means is this post meant to be a comprehensive overview of this subject. I encourage readers to learn more about "Zip Coon" and other Black sterotypes, in part by visiting the sites whose hyperlinks are provided in this post.

Note: I choose not to spell out the word that is now known as the "n word" because I detest that word. Instead of completely spelling that word out, I use asterisks for some letters.

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DESCRIPTION OF ZIP COON
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show

Minstrel shows lampooned black people as ignorant, lazy, buffoonish, superstitious, joyous, and musical…

Minstrel songs and sketches featured several stock characters, most popularly the slave and the dandy... The counterpart to the slave was the dandy, a common character in the afterpiece. He was a northern urban black man trying to live above his station by mimicking white, upper-class speech and dress—usually to no good effect. Dandy characters often went by [sic: the name] Zip Coon, after the song popularized by George Washington Dixon, although others had pretentious names like Count Julius Caesar Mars Napoleon Sinclair Brown. Their clothing was a ludicrous parody of upper-class dress: coats with tails and padded shoulders, white gloves, monocles, fake mustaches, and gaudy watch chains. They spent their time primping and preening, going to parties, dancing and strutting, and wooing women. Like other urban black characters, the dandies' pretentiousness showed that they had no place in white society while sending up social changes like nouveau-riche white culture.

From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=7876#48048 "Old Zip Coon"; comment by rich r; 04 Dec 98

"Zip Coon" which was popular in the 1830's was one of the earliest pieces of music used extensively by black-face singers before the advent of the minstrel shows. The Zip Coon character was an urban dandy, the complete opposite of the Jim Crow character who was depicted as rural. The unofficial garb for Zip Coon included a blue long-tailed jacket, a frilly lacey front shirt, watch fob and jewelry.

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THE PURPOSE OF THE ZIP COON CHARACTER
The purpose of the Zip Coon character was to provide entertainment for White folks by ridiculing & demeaning Northern, urban, free Black men. The ludicrous Black dandy was created because the existence of free, intelligent, articulate, skilled, ambitious, and well dressed Black men in the North (as well as in the South) was considered by many White people to be an affront & a threat to mainstream White society.

The Zip Coon character is somewhat different from the contemporary characterization of the "uppity n****r" in that Zip Coon had no ambition to do anything but play music, dress in what he considered to be high style, and be a lover of usually more than one Black woman. However, like the "uppity n****r", Zip Coon characterizations were said to be attempting to "live above their station". And both these characters were and are considered to be a threat to White status quo.

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THE SONG "ZIP COON"
The 1834 song "Zip Coon" explicitly has little to do with a Black dandy (a Black man who is only interested in fashion). However, that song presents a self-assured character who is depicted courting a woman (Suky blue skin-meaning a dark skinned Black woman). Also note verses 4,5, & 6 which focus on the (thought to be ludicrous) possibility of a Black man one day becoming the President of the United States:

ZIP COON
(1834)

1. O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler
Sings possum up a gum tree an coony in a holler
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Possum up a gum tree, coony on a stump
Den over dubble trubble, Zip Coon will jump.

CHORUS: O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.

2. O its old Suky blue skin, she is in lub wid me,
I went the udder arter noon to take a dish ob tea;
What do you tink now, Suky hab for supper,
Why chicken foot an possum heel, widout any butter.

3. Did you eber see the wild goose, sailing on de ocean,
O de wild goose motion is a bery pretty notion;
Ebry time de wild goose, beckens to de swaller,
You hear him google google google google goller.

4. I tell you what will happin den, now bery soon,
De Nited States Bank will be blone to de moon;
Dare General Jackson, will him lampoon,
An de bery nex President, will be Zip Coon.

5. An wen Zip Coon our President shall be,
He make all de little Coons sing posum up a tree;
O how de little Coons, will dance an sing,
Wen he tie dare tails togedder, cross de lim dey swing.

6. Now mind wat you arter, you tarnel kritter Crocket,
You shant go head widout old Zip, he is de boy to block it,
Zip shall be President, Crocket shall be vice,
An den dey two togedder, will hab de tings nice.

7. I hab many tings to tork about, but don't know wich come first,
So here de toast to old Zip Coon, before he gin to rust;
May he hab de pretty girls, like de King ob ole,
To sing dis song so many times, fore he turn to mole

Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=7876 for this version and other versions of the song "Zip Coon".

The song "Zip Coon" utilizes the same tune as "Turkey in the Straw" which may have slightly predated it. The blackface performers George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols each claimed to have seperately written both of those songs. An earlier American song "Natchez Under the Hill" was the first published song to use the tune that is most commonly known now as "Turkey In The Straw"...
-snip-
The word "coon" in the name "Zip Coon" is derived from the word "racoon" but is a racial slur used in the United States to refer to Black people. But where does the word "Zip" come from?

My theory is that the name "Zip" is from the Hebrew male name "Zippor". Given the possible meanings of that name, and its Biblical associations, I contend that the name "Zip" might have been interpreted by some 19th century White folks as a coded put-down of Black men.

To support this theory, I present the following information from http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Zippor.html

Zippor is the father of Balak, the king of Moab who hires Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22:4).

The name Zippor comes from the fertile word-group (sapar 1958-1962): The assumed and untranslatable root (spr) yields the noun (sippor), meaning bird. In Judges 7:3 the word is used as a hard-to-translate verb, (sapar), perhaps literally: "...Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and chicken out and off Mount Gilead."

The assumed root (spr 1960) yields the noun (sepira), meaning a plait, diadem (Isaiah 28:5).
The assumed root (spr) yields the noun (sipporen), meaning fingernail (Deuteronomy 21:12) or engraving pen (Jeremiah 17:1).

The assumed root (spr) yields the noun (sapir), meaning he-goat. This word appears only in later Biblical texts.

The name Zippor is identical to the noun (sippor), and means Bird. NOBS Study Bible Name List reads Sparrow. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads Little Bird.

A closely related name is Zipporah.

-snip-
Also, read the information given about the name "Balak" from that same website at http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Balak.html.

In summation, the name "Zip" in "Zip Coon" may have carried the negative connotations of being bird brained, being a he-goat, and being related to a person who curses the nation of Israel. I consider the following sentence to be particularly striking: "Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and chicken out and off Mount Gilead."
-snip-
That sentence is particularly fitting since I believe that it was fear of the Black man that motivated the offensive, demeaning pre-minstrel and minstrel caricature of Zip Coon and other Black dandies.

However, note that the chorus of the song "Zip Coon" includes the word "zip":

O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.

-snip-
It seems obvious to me that this chorus is the source of the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" which first appeared in the Walt Disney 1946 live action and animated movie "Song of the South". If the 1834 date for that version of the song "Zip Coon" is correct, then I would probably revise my thinking about the Hebrew name "Zippor" being the source of the name & song title "Zip Coon".

I think that "zip" in that Zip Coon chorus and in the Disney song conveys a spirit of zest, carefree energy, and enjoyment, but not necessarily speed. As such that word would be a good fit for the White crafted character of the Black urban dandy- a person who wasn't a threat to the White status quo because he was just carefree and only interested in making music, and courting (if not marrying) Black women.

In conclusion, if I had to choose which one of my theories about the name "Zip Coon" I think is the most plausible, I'd go with door number #2- the word "zip" in the chorus of the Zip Coon song is the source for the name "Zip Coon". It's probable that the similarly spelled and pronounced Hebrew male name "Zippor" is nothing more than a coincidence.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/two-versions-of-song-old-zip-coon-sound.html for a post on two versions of the Zip Coon song.

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LONG TAIL BLUE
"Long Tail Blue" (1827) is an early racist song about a black "dandy" trying to fit into Northern white society. "Dandy" means a male who is concerned about keeping up with the latest clothing fashions, or otherwise making a very good fashion statement). The song "Long Tail Blue" has been attributed to George Washington Dixon. "Long Tail Blue" (a referent to a type of suit jacket) focuses more on the Black dandy than does "Zip Coon".

Here are three verses from "Long Tail Blue". These verses are given with asterisks for the spelling of the "n word". Note the verse that references "Jim Crow courting a White girl.

LONG TAIL BLUE (excerpt)
Some N****rs they have but one coat,
But you see I've got two;
I wears a jacket all the week,
And Sunday my long tail blue...

Jim Crow is courting a white gall,
And yaller folks call her Sue;
I guess she back'd a n****r out,
And swung my long tail blue...

If you want to win the Ladie's hearts,
I'll tell you what to do;
Go to a tip-top tailor's shop,
And buy a long tail blue.

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=69384#1176208 "Long Tail Blue"; comment by Q; 01 May 04

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DANDY JIM
A characteristic of the "Zip Coon" character that usually receives little mention is his self-confidence, particularly when it comes to his relationship with women. That characteristic is found in the following 1844 minstrel song of the "Zip Coon" figuree "Dandy Jim From Caroline":

DANDY JIM FROM CAROLINE (excerpt)
...I drest myself from top to toe,
And down to Dinah I did go,
Wid pantaloons strapp'd down behine,
Like "Dandy Jim from Caroline."
For my ole massa &c...

Oh, beauty it is but skin deep,
But wid Miss Dinah none compete;
She chang'd her name from lubly Dine,
To Mrs. Dandy Jim from Caroline."
For my ole massa &c.

http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/minstrel/dandyjimfr.html

The 1956 hit R&B song "Jim Dandy To The Rescue" as recorded by African American vocalist Lavern Baker adds new characteristics to the character "Dandy Jim from Caroline". That song also turns on its head the caricature of the ludicrous Zip Coon/Black Dandy by presenting exploits of a heroic man who rescues women in distress. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4esV-NMe3m0 to find a song file of "Jim Dandy To The Rescue".

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GOLLIWOGS
Golliwog dolls and other golliwog images & products are based on the minstrel character of "Zip Coon".
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golliwogg

The "Golliwogg" (later "Golliwog", "golly doll") was a character in children's books in the late 19th century and depicted as a type of rag doll. It was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers as a children's toy called the "golliwog", and had great popularity in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, into the 1960s. The doll has black skin, eyes rimmed in white, clown lips, and frizzy hair, and it has been described as the least known of the major anti-black caricatures in the United States.While home-made golliwogs were sometimes female, the golliwog was generally male. For this reason, in the period following World War II, the golliwog was seen, along with the teddy bear, as a suitable soft toy for a young boy...

The 1895 book [by Florence Upton] included a character named the "Golliwogg," who was first described as "a horrid sight, the blackest gnome", but who quickly turned out to be a friendly character, and is later attributed with a "kind face." A product of the blackface minstrel tradition, the character was classic "darkie" iconography. The Golliwogg had jet black skin; bright, red lips; and wild, woolly hair. He wore red trousers, a shirt with a stiff collar, red bow-tie, and a blue jacket with ails — all traditional minstrel attire…

-snip-
From http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/golliwog/

The Golliwog was created during a racist era. He was drawn as a caricature of a minstrel -- which itself represented a demeaning image of Blacks. There is racial stereotyping of Black people in Florence Upton's books, including The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls -- such as the Black minstrel playing a banjo on page 45. It appears that the Golliwog was another expression of Upton's racial insensitivity. Certainly later Golliwogs often reflected negative beliefs about Blacks -- thieves, miscreants, incompetents. There is little doubt that the words associated with Golliwog -- Golly, Golli, Wog, and Golliwog, itself -- are often used as racial slurs. Finally, the resurgence of interest in the Golliwog is not found primarily among children, but instead is found among adults, some nostalgic, others with financial interests.

-snip-
Click
http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/wog_faq.htm for more information about the etymology and history of golliwogs.

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FEATURED VIDEOS [Updated 4/24/2013]
The Stereotype of the "Zip Coon"

This video appears to no longer be available. However, the video uploader's comments are still informative:
[This is] "A clip from the documentary _Ethnic Notions_ by Marlon Riggs. The film details the history of popular cultural representations of African Americans from the 19th century into the late 20th century. It focuses, in particular, on stereotypes and how they have changed over time and in response to circumstance. Here we see the example of the "Zip Coon" character, an ante-bellum construction that was used to ridicule black aspirations for freedom and autonomy. It was a complement to the Mammy and the Sambo in the sense that it rationalized the "need" for slavery to take care of blacks whose attempts to take care of themselves were "ludicrous."...

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Ethnic Notions



californianewsreel,Uploaded on Oct 28, 2009

To watch the entire documentary, to read background information and to order DVDs, visit:
http://newsreel.org/video/ETHNIC-NOTIONS
Scholars shed light on the origins and consequences of anti-Black stereotypes in popular culture from the Antebellum period to the Civil Rights era.

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Robertson's Golden Shred Marmalade Advert (1983)



chaoreturnsforgood76, Uploaded on Oct 1, 2010

Here's an animated advert with the "Gollywog" which was axed in 2001

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THE SONG "OLD ZIP COON" AND THE CHARACTER "ZIP COON"
In discussing Zip Coon, it's important to distinquish "Old Zip Coon" lyrics from the Zip Coon character & characterization. While the character/characterization Zip Coon is racist, the standard lyrics for that song aren't racist.

Click http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/547.html for the lyrics to that song.

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MORE RELATED LINKS
http://africanamericanhistorynamesandterms.blogspot.com/2007/12/sambo-stereotype-sambo-stereotype-of.html

Here's an excerpt from that post that describes the Sambo stereotype:
"The Sambo stereotype of African American slaves and, by extension, of modern African Americans is that American blacks are by nature servile, fawning, cringing, docile, irresponsible, lazy, humble, dependent, prone to lying and steal­ing, grinningly happy and basically infantile. In other words, the conception of Sambo is that of a perpetual child incapable of maturity, sitting, grinning and eating in a watermelon patch."
**
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/stereotype-of-african-americans-kool.html Stereotypes of African Americans And Koolaid.

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African Burial Ground National Monument

Edited by Azizi Powell

In light of the "Occupy Wall Street" protest movement that began in New York City on 9/17/2011 and is still ongoing & spreading to other cities, it's important to be aware of the history of slavery in New York, and the existence of a cemetery for enslaved African Americans underneath the streets of lower Manhattan.

Here's an excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Burial_Ground_National_Monument

African Burial Ground National Monument at Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way (Elk Street) in Lower Manhattan (New York City) preserves a site containing the remains of more than 400 Africans buried during the 17th and 18th centuries. Historians estimate there may have been 15,000-20,000 burials there. The site's excavation and study was called the most important historic urban archeological project in the United States. The site has been designated a National Historic Landmark and National Monument.

These words are inscribed on the African Burial Ground Monument which was dedicated in 2007:

For all those who were lost.
For all those who were stolen.
For all those who were left behind.
For all those who were not forgotten.

Here's an excerpt from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3659397.stm
"The African foundations of New York"
by Jane Beresford ; BBC producer of I Too Am America
Monday, 26 April, 2004, 11:36 GMT 12:36 UK

The remains of 20,000 African men, women and children have lain beneath the busy streets of New York for 300 years, waiting to tell their stories on the extent of slavery in the city.

...these enslaved Africans helped create the city of New York. They worked as stevedores in the docks and as labourers building the fortification known as Wall Street, which protected the city against attack from Native Americans.

Evidence from the burial site revealed, for the first time, the enormous human cost of such work.

Half of the remains were of children under the age of 12. Women were usually dead by 40.

"It seems that it was cost effective for slave traders to work people to death and then simply to replace them, so they sought to get Africans who were as young as possible, but ready to work," said Mr Blakey.

From royalty to slavery?

The woman designated "Burial 340" was a very intriguing person.

"She was in her 40s - and for the burial ground population that makes her kind of old", said archaeologist Sherrill Wilson, now director of interpretation at the African Burial Ground.

"Around her waist the woman wore a belt of over 100 beads and cowrie shells," she said.

"In some parts of Africa in the 1700s, it's illegal for people who are not members of royal families to own even one of these beads - and she has over 100 buried with her," she added.

Had this woman been born into royalty in Ghana and died a slave in New York City?

Such treasures are known to belong to Akan-speaking people. Had this woman been born into royalty in Ghana and died a slave in New York City?

And who chose to bury her with the waist belt of beads?

"These are very valuable items," said Ms Wilson. "It implies that whoever buried her... could have chosen to sell those items to feed themselves - but they made the choice to bury them with her."

Perhaps it was a tradition, a rite, or an act of defiance against those who had enslaved a woman of noble birth.

The skeletons of 18th Century slaves have spoken to those living free today to remind us that New York - one of the world's great immigrant cities - destroyed as well as created destinies.

For more information, visit http://peoplesworld.org/slavery-in-new-york-uncovering-the-brutal-truth/ "Slavery in New York: Uncovering the brutal truth" by: Martin Frazier; December 2 2005

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New York City African Burial Ground Dedication Federal Plaza


Uploaded by vaderkane on Aug 31, 2009

"In 2007, the long awaited opening of the New York African Burial Ground National Memorial took place at Federal Plaza. Among the dignitaries, National Poet Laureate Maya Angelou, actor Avery Brooks, and Sidney Poitier."

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African Burial Ground - The New York Connection (Episode 2)



Uploaded by idtvdocs on Sep 15, 2009

"This is where in the 17th and 18th centuries free and enslaved Africans were buried. In 1991, during excavation work for a new office building, a skeleton was found. Later the remains of over 400 men, women and children were exhumed.

Clip taken from "The New York Connection", a Dutch Public TV series about the history of the City of New York in the light of the 400th celebration of the arrival of Henry Hudson. Dutch author Dirk van Weelden wanders through New York and Amsterdam trying to discover traces of New York's Dutch history. He draws a connection between 17th century of the Dutch Republic and contemporary New York. With a.o. Russell Shorto, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Charles Gehring and Jaap Jacobs."

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Women In Jazz - Yesterday & Today

Written by Azizi Powell

It has become a custom for persons who have been added to closed facebook groups to post "Thank yous" on that group's page. In that spirit, the other day one newly added member of the "Jazz Warriors Official Group" wrote on that group's facebook wall:
"Gentlemen,thank you for allowing me to be a part of an historic movement in the history of Jazz in this country!"

A female member of that group promptly responded with the comment: "(member's name), there are ladies in the camp also :)"

Shortly thereafter, that man posted this comment (the caps are probably for emphasis and not shouting)
"!! ERRR.... TERRIBLY SORRY.I JUST REALISED AFTER I LEFT THE HOUSE. :-(
HOPE I DIDN'T USPET ANYONE TOO MUCH,IT WAS AN OVERSIGHT :-)

GUILTY AS CHARGED YOUR HONOUR....."

And though I also was a new member of that group, I couldn't resist the opportunity to post this comment that "Yeah, us ladies can be gentle too - and we can also be fierce!"

With that exchange in mind, and as a means of expanding and deepening my knowledge of this subject, I took some time earlier today to browse the internet to find websites on women in Jazz.

Among the websites that I found were:
http://www.waer.org/50women.html WAER (radio station 88.3 [music, news, and NPR from Eastern New York]
Voices of the Century:50 Greatest Female Jazz Vocalists! Chosen by our members, listeners and staff. (1999)
#1 on that list is Ella Fitzgerald

**
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/time/time_women.htm Women in Jazz

**
http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/02/forgotten_woman_in_black_histo.html
Kalamazoo Gazette

**
http://www.blackpast.org/?q=perspectives/race-gender-jazz-local-493-black-women-musicians-seattle-1920-1955 Black Women Musicians In Seattle Washington 1920-1955

**
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/women_and_music/v012/12.hairston.html Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture (a review of the book Black Women and Music: More than the Blues Edited by Eileen M. Hayes and Linda F. Williams. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007. 261 pp.

and

http://www.ranker.com/list/30-fierce-women-of-jazz-from-yesterday-and-today/konnoisseur411 30 Fierce Women Of Jazz From Yesterday and Today
(#1 on that list is Mary Lou Williams and Ella Fitzgerald is listed as #2).

It should be noted that I wasn't aware of that "30 Fierce Women Of Jazz" website when I wrote my comment on the Jazz Warriors Official Club facebook page
that ladies [in jazz] can be both gentle & fierce. Life is full of coincidences like that.

There's a lot of quotable quotes and long excerpts that I found of interest in those websites, but just encourage folks to visit the above listed sites. And in summation, I'll share one quote from Black Women and Music: More than the Blues:

Racism, sexism, classism, colorism, ageism, and stylism" all still play frequently contradicting but stifling roles [for women in the music industry](p.66).

Representative of jazz female artists from yesterday & today, it gives me great pleasure to share two videos of pianist & composer Mary Lou Williams and two vidoes of mult-instrumentalists, vocalist, and composer Esperanza Spalding.

Mary Lou Williams - A profile



Uploaded by dnworks on May 4, 2010

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032out2010 Mary Lou Williams 01
(Mary Lou Williams- Jazzy Women 1978)



Uploaded by RareJazzVideos on Nov 5, 2010

-snip-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Lou_Williams

**

Esperanza Spalding - Jazz Ain't Nothin But Soul - Austin Limits 2009 -.avi


Uploaded by falara4351 on Jun 30, 2011

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Esperanza Spalding - "Ponta de Areia"



Uploaded by mistermister668 on Jul 4, 2011

-snip-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanza_Spalding

****
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"Get Your Black Hands Off Of Me" Line In African American Playground Rhymes

Written by Azizi Powell

Update October 29, 2014

When I was growing up in New Jersey in the 1950s, the very worse thing you could call another Black person was "blackie". Being called "blackie" usually resulted in a fist fight. Sometimes the child hurling that taunt had the same skin complexion or a similar skin complexion as the child being taunted. In those days few Black people I knew wanted to be Black or wanted to be reminded that they were Black. Unfortunately, as I witnessed during the two years I substitute taught in an all Black Pittsburgh Pennsylvania school, the "Black is Beautiful movement" of the 1970s and 1980s in the United States doesn't appear to have changed this attitude all that much. Black kids still taunt other Black kids by calling them "blackie". And immigrant children from Somalia, East Africa - who were darker than most of the African American children, and who also wore outfits that were different than the norm - were the particular target of "blackie" racial slurs.

Taunts aren't the only place that putdowns of Black people by Black people show up. Those in-racial putdowns also show up in children's playground rhymes where they are recited along with other words, with very little thought to their meaning.

In addition to telling adapted West African stories, I also enjoy collecting children's playground rhymes. So when an opportunity presents itself to do both, I'm really in my glory. Such an opportunity occured one evening in January, 2011 when I was slated to present African folktales for young children whose women who were members of a Black Greek lettered sorority. A nine year old girl arrived early to that event with her mother. While her mother helped set up the room, that little girl, who I later learned was named Naijah, spent some time on her small notebook computer. I couldn't resist the opportunity, and I approached her, introduced myself, and asked her if she would share with me some playground rhymes she knew.

It just so happened that two of the playground rhymes that Naijah shared with me included the line "Get your black hands off of me". Here are those two rhymes, along with my comments & Naijah's comments:

ET FROM OUTER SPACE
ET
ET
ET from outer space.
He had an ugly face.
Sitting in a rocket.
Eating chocolate.
Watching soap operas
All day long.
A B C D E F G
Get your black hands off of me. *
Now freeze! **
-Naijah S.; (African American female, 9 years old; Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; January 14, 2011; Collected by Azizi Powell 1/14/2011

Editor:
This rhyme is part of the "Miss Sue From Alabama" family of rhymes.

Naijah recited this rhyme without my asking for it by name. She said that that "ABCDEFG" part is used in another rhyme which she later recited. See "I Am A First Grader" below.

* I said to Naijah that I heard that "get your Black hands off of me line before in other rhymes and I wondered if if meant that people were ashamed of being Black. Naijah looked shocked and said "I enjoy my heritage".

**
I AM A PRETTY FIRST GRADER
I am a pretty __ first grader*
As pretty as can___ be be.
My boyfriend's name is__ Chris Brown**
He lives in Ala__bama.
One day when I was___walking
I saw my boyfriend __ talking
To the ugliest girl in the whole wide world.
And this is what he said.
I K-I-S-S
I M-I-S-S miss you.
I L-O-V-E love you.
ABCDEFG
Get your black hands off of me.***
I K-I-S-S Kiss you!
-Naijah S.; (African American female, 9 years old; Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; January 14, 2011; Collected by Azizi Powell 1/14/2011

The dashes indicate one beat before the next word or the next syllable.

Editor: "I Am A Prettty First Grader" is a version of the playground rhyme "I Am A Pretty Little Dutch Girl". Naijah recited this rhyme without my asking for it by name.

* Naijah said "Girls say the grade they are in when they say this rhyme (like first grade or second grade or fifth grade)". Naijah also said that when she was in the second grade she forgot and said "I am a pretty first grader". And that's the words she used for this recitation of that rhyme.

**"Chris Brown" is a currently popular young African American R&B singer and actor. I think that besides his popularity, his last name "Brown" is the reason why he joins a long line in children's playground rhymes of other people or of characters whose last name is "Brown"-for instance "Buster Brown", "Charlie Brown", "James Brown", and probably others.

***Naijah said "The reason why the woman said said "Get your black hands off of me" in that rhyme is that she was mad at him because he was cheating on her. I found that explanation interesting as it showed that an attempt was made to explain that line within the context of that rhyme. However, it still seems to me that the emphasis on the color of the hands meant that their dark color was considered negatively.

I've collected other examples of this rhyme which include the "Get your Black Hands Off Of Me" line. Another example of this same rhyme with that line in my collection is on this page of my Cocojams website http://www.cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes. That rhyme is presented under the heading "I Am A Pretty Little First Grader" but with the title "Zing Zing Zing At The Bottom Of The Sea".

-snip-

My experience with Naijah, and particularly her response to my question about the "Get Your Black Hands Off Of Me" line in the "ET" rhyme gave me some hope that the way some Black children view themselves may be changing for the better. But in my opinion, the inclusion of that line in both of these rhymes shows that we still have a long way to go before dark skin color isn't seen as a negative, and all skin color references are just descriptors with no positive or negative valuation.

****
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Black On Black Taunting - "Burnt Rice"

Written by Azizi Powell

Note: I first wrote this essay in 2006 & posted it on this thread that I started on the Blues & Folk music forum http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=90660 "Skin color in songs & singers' names". The essay is presented here with minor revisions.

BURNT RICE

In the 1950s when I was in elementary school in Atlantic City, New Jersey, there was no school busing. Students went to public schools near where they lived, and walked to & from school. There was also a Catholic school not too far from the neighborhood where I lived, but few kids I knew went there because it cost a lot of money. The public school that I attended (Indiana Avenue School) was "all Black". By "all Black" I meant that all the students and the male principal, the clerks, and the janitors were African American. However, almost all of the teachers in my elementary school were White women. Indiana Avenue School served the students who lived in or nearby a particular part of a multi-block residential area in Atlantic City known as "the village" or "the projects". "The village" was and still is a public housing project of two story brick units connected together with small patches of lawn in the front and back of each unit. All of the students who attended that school were probably poor or working class. But I didn't think of myself as being poor. In my mind -and maybe in reality - the village was certainly a couple of steps up both in its in living conditions and in its social status from Black folks who lived in the run down houses in the uptown section of that city.

Some memories stand out about my childhood school years. One of them actually didn't happen in school, but occurred during one of my walks home from school. As was usually the case, I walked home with my sisters and a few other female students of various ages who lived in our block. Other students walked usually in bunches ahead of us or behind us. The brief scene that I vividly recall happened as we approached part of the project that was located very near that school. Some older girls who were in front of us passed by a house and noticed a Black girl about my age who was standing on the porch. The girl's skin was very pale, her straightened hair was a reddish color, and so was her eyebrows. Although the red haired girl was about my age, she didn't go to the neighborhood school. Maybe she was Catholic and went to a Catholic school. Anyway, as a bunch of other kids walked past that girl's house, I heard a couple of them shout out "Hey, burnt rice!" The girl quickly put her head down and ran into her house.

I remember asking one of the older girls I was walking home with "Why did those kids called that girl "burnt rice"? The girl replied that it was because of the color of that girl's hair. Since we lived in an all Black neighborhood, all the kids we knew had either black or dark brown hair so a Black girl with red hair was different. I remember asking that older girl "Why is her hair that color?" That older girl said something like "That was the way she was born". I don't recall asking why the phrase "burnt rice" was used to refer to red hair. Since then, I figured out that we were used to rice being one color: "white" though I'm now familiar with brown rice. But back then- for me and I guess the other project kids- we thought that rice that is burned would be a brownish or maybe even a reddish color. I figured this out now, but way back then my focus was on how hurt that little girl looked when those other kids taunted her because her hair was red, and her eyebrows were red because (I realized many years later) she was an albino. None of this should have been a big deal. But the girl's physical appearance was different than that of other folks we saw. And unfortunately, children back then had a very low tolerance for anyone who was different. I don’t think it’s improved all that much nowadays.

I seldom saw that girl again, but when I did I made a point of waving and saying "Hi!" to her. Although many years have passed, I never forgot that red haired girl, and I never forgot that second hand lesson that words can hurt.

****
The following three videos are presented for their educational, folkoric, aesthetic value, and entertainment values.

Tampa Red - Love Her With A Feeling



Uploaded by ianlee73 on Jul 17, 2011

-snip-

Bluesman Hudson Woodbridge (January 8, 1904 - March 19, 1981),was raised by his aunt and grandmother after his parents died, and adopted their surname, Whittaker. He adopted the name 'Tampa Red' from his childhood home and light colored skin & reddish hair.

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Interview With Nina Simone (I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free)



Uploaded by DomHilly on Nov 4, 2008

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Nina Simone - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free



Uploaded by tungbgs on Nov 24, 2008

Montreux 1976

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