Gettin' on the Soul Train

   
      I was thinking the other day about how we've lost a connection. Growing up there were certain television shows that connected us. One of those shows was Soul Train.  I looked forward to the weekly Sunday night show.  For many African Americans it was our version of American Bandstand. We could see ourselves reflected in the dancers, the clothing,  and the best music. When the show started in October of 1971 host Don Cornelius proudly wore an afro and the latest in 70's fashions.  Soul Train informed us of the latest fashions, the latest dances  and we could see our favorite musical groups performing live.
     Growing up we loved music and listened to the radio frequently and had a great collection of 45's and albums. Dancing and basement parties were popular forms of entertainment.  Anyone with a finished or partially finished basement could throw a party.  All you really needed was a stereo and a stack of popular 45's and maybe some light refreshments.  Parents would sit upstairs in the kitchen or living room to monitor who was coming in and out of their house.  In the basement teens would dance to their favorite soulful tunes and emerge at the end of the evening sweaty and exhausted from a fun evening.  Dancing is social.  For me, and I suspect many others, dancing offered a way to interact during awkward teen years. If you were a good dancer and had a sense of style (possibly inspired from Soul Train) life was good.  Dancing during my college years was a little different.  It was important to learn the latest dances, like in high school, only it required some practice.  I remember on several occasions  a dorm-mate  blasting their stereo and girls lined up in the hallway all practicing the newest dances. College was a melting pot of dance as students from across the country added different dance influences from home.   On our small college campus there were two weekly dances where we could show off our newly mastered dance skills. These weekly dances were popular throughout my college years. I have many fond memories of those days and the joy of music and dancing.

Multiple generations were united by Soul Train that remained on the air for 35 years.  The weekly show influenced celebrations for years.  Many people adopted the Soul Train line in their own parties and family and friend gatherings.  My Daddy often loved creating or calling out "a strong line" at a party. (*a strong line was when dancers created two lines that faced one another, one or two dancers would dance between the formed line showing off their best moves.)
While I was a big fan during the 70's my viewership dropped off over the years. Soul Train continued to thrive and evolve.   Musical guests included what was referred to as "blue-eyed soul brothers."  In early 1975 Elton John appeared on Soul Train followed later in the year by David Bowie.  Through its many transformations the show continued to influence popular culture showcasing popular musical guests and the latest in dance.
Soul Train connected viewers young and old from 1971 to 2006.  It is a connection we are missing today. It was, in the words of Don Cornelius, "The hippest trip in America." I'll end this post the way Don Cornelius ended each show:  "You can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas honey!  This is Don Cornelius and as always in parting we wish you Love, Peace, and Soul!"

King Louie-A lesson on Louis Armstrong

In October I was invited to an Elementary school to share some of the Hands on Black History collection.  I presented to the whole school and talked about how the Hands on Black History museum had come into being. I highlighted the talk with artifacts, books and posters with the hopes of inspiring students to create their own living museum during Black history month.  Afterward, I shared time with teachers and answered questions about how they might bring their museum to life and offered a variety of people they might highlight.  Yesterday, (February 27th) I returned to the school and was able to see the hard work the students and teachers had put in place for the month .  The School library proudly displayed exhibits that classes had created, highlighting the accomplishments of African Americans, some familiar faces but, to my delight, some new and less known figures in Black history.  To add to the end of the month celebration we presented at a whole school assembly, about 460 students.  The students were treated to a lesson about Louis Armstrong  

We set up a display of posters, books and records that acted as our backdrop and was available for students to view after the assembly.  After sharing highlights of Armstrong's life, students were able to hear first hand how he had influenced band leader and trumpeter T.J. Muller.  T.J. played the cornet for students while sharing facts about Armstrong,  his life, and trumpet style.  T.J also demonstrated different instruments (banjo, tuba, clarinet, and trombone) that would have been played in traditional Jazz bands when Louis Armstrong was popular. Students giggled and smiled  with delight as they listened to scat singing in a rendition of Heebie Jeebies sung by Muller. The finale was listening to a recording of Louis Armstrong's  La Vie En Rose.  T.J. played in between Armstrong's singing and trumpet playing creating a beautiful musical conversation between the two artists.  Just imagine, 460 students plus staff sitting quietly,  being transported back to the very early days of Jazz,  connected through the joy of the music.  What a treat!  Hail, King Louie!  Thank you for your gift of music. 

P.S.  Thank you to the Elementary school here in St. Louis for having us.  Keep up the fantastic work of sharing the history of all of us!  

 

     

           

What Green book?

Victor Green, a postal worker, saw a need in his community and created a book that would help African American travelers navigate around and through Jim Crow laws in the south as well as unwritten laws in northern states and throughout the Midwest in sundown towns.  First published as The Negro Motorist Green Book and later as The Negro Travelers' Green Book.  The books were published over a 30 year period (1936-1966) and in that time expanded to include not only the United states but International travel.  Later, a Pullman porter, Clarence M. Markham Jr. created a similar book Negro Traveler and Conventioneer.  The genius of both men's creations is they joined a long history of African Americans who were challenged to "make a way out of no-way."  Their contributions helped many African Americans travel safely across our country informing them of safe housing, food, service stations, restrooms and shopping.  

 I decided to write a post on the Green book and our family's experience with it.  So, I phoned my Aunts who'd grown up in Memphis and moved to Nashville in the late 60's/early 70's.  One Aunt is in her late 70's and the other in her late 80's.  The conversation began, "tell me about your experiences with the Green book."  The response was "What Green book?...what is that?"  I will also add here that these are not just two old Southern women with no life experience, my oldest Aunt was a nurse and the other a college professor for 45 plus years with a PhD.  They could recount experiences in places where they were refused service and of places that did not welcome Blacks,  but did not know of The Green book.  We traveled as a family and my Mother traveled frequently with the work of the Episcopal church and I don't recall our family talking about the Green book.  This lead me to believe, and I will admit without researching it, that this was not something that all African Americans knew about.   Many did, yes, but growing up, this was not something I was made aware of and did not learn about  until I was an adult. I am cautious of stories of African American history that are painted with a broad stoke of "all Black people..."  I would instead use 'many' or ''some.'  While many African Americans share histories and experiences our stories are not all identical. 

 There were places that we did not go but it was just understood.  As a child you did not question why your parents never frequented certain places,  I suspect in hindsight they were protecting us. Many Black communities were close and  people relied on referrals from neighbors and friends as to where  they could shop, eat, buy gas, and sleep at home and when they traveled.  The interesting thing I did learn from my Aunts was that several things we routinely did as a family when we traveled were most likely the result of our parents having grown up in the south with Jim Crow laws and their personal travel experiences.  For example, before we left home the last thing we did was go to the bathroom.  When we traveled we packed our own food for  long trips.  We did not frequent a lot of restaurants but I thought this was because Mama and Daddy were being thrifty. (probably partially true.) While I have no memory of our family using the Green book, I have a friend close to my age who remembers her family using the Green book.  Her family were residents of New York and they used it traveling south.  She remembers the family lunch packed in a shoe box. My friend still has her family copy of the Green book and she uses it to share her personal stories and educate others. 

I taught a lesson this past week on the Green book to a group of Kindergartners.  I used the children's book Ruth and the Green book.  We discussed before, "What would you do if, when traveling with your family you couldn't stop to eat at a restaurant or use the bathroom or put gas in your car?"  They had lots of ideas as they tried to process the whole idea of being excluded and the unfairness of it.  My favorite answer was "change the laws."  After we read and discussed a bit more, the youngsters created their own Green book to share and educate their families.  Inside was a photo of Victor Green, they drew pictures of a post office to remind themselves of Mr. Green's original profession before he became a publisher and travel critic.  They drew brown people in cars and maps like they had seen in the story.  They wrote in their best Kindergarten writing details to remember.  It was a good lesson.  These children learned about the Green book before they became adults, they learned about the genius of Victor Green and how he had helped his people. Do you have experiences with the Green book?  I'd love for you to share them.  

     

           

A sharp dressed man

Some  pieces of this story are things my Daddy told us growing up.  Unfortunately some details are missing and there's no one left to ask.  Write down or record the stories your parents tell you now. 
This story begins...There is no doubt that my Daddy was a sharp dressed man from a young age.  Born in 1923 in Ripley, Tennessee Daddy came from a long line of sharp dressed men, first his grandfather and later, his father. 

                                            pictured is my great grandfather born 1866 and
                                                          my grandfather born 1897

These are not the images that many of us have in our heads of African Americans born so close to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.  One of the family stories that Daddy told was that he had an uncle who was a tailor in Memphis, Tennessee.  His uncle was so talented that he could have a customer stand in a corner of his shop and hold his thumb up in different positions  while looking at the customer and shout out measurements for my Daddy to write down.  With few other measurements he would create a suit that was tailored to perfection.  One of his uncle's most well known customers was Memphis politician Edward Hull "Boss" Crump. So infamous was this politician that W.C. Handy wrote a song about him titled Crump Blues.

 Daddy wore many custom made suits that were created by his uncle.  He had an amazing sense of style throughout his life.  He loved hats, sharp leather shoes, and french cuff shirts.  Daddy wore a suit to church every Sunday.  He taught his grandsons the importance of being dressed for success and taught them the correct way to tie a necktie.  For Daddy there was 'dressed' or 'not dressed.' It was many years before he would wear short sleeve shirts or jeans.  For him, his clothes said something about who he was.  Daddy was a gentleman who believed strongly in tradition and his presence commanded attention because he was so well put together.  The legacy of all these sharp dressed men can be seen in the way we dress today, with an eye for style.  What is left from the stories of my great uncle is a suit and his tailor's scissors along with photographs and warm memories of days gone by. 

 

 

The Hair Journey

The First journey 
I was born with wavy, curly hair.  As I grew, my hair turned more coarse and kinky.  My mother  brushed  and combed my hair and I wore braids a good part of childhood.  It was the practice in our home that every couple of weeks, to keep your hair soft and your scalp healthy Mama would oil our scalp.  She would part it into small sections and apply a little Vaseline or Hair Rep.  Mama knew how to french braid our hair and occasionally we would have a different do.  Sometimes our Daddy did our hair and it would be braided  so tight that it gave our eyes a bit of a surprised look.  Daddy's hair dos stayed tidy for several days and only needed a small amount of brushing to put loose hairs back in place.

                                                                        The Second Journey

For special occasions we got our hair pressed.  This was an all day ordeal.  We had a family friend that would come over for this.  First, you'd get your hair washed nice and clean then it was parted into sections and combed through.  After your hair was dry you waited your turn to get 'in the chair'.  Our family friend would do my two sister's hair then mine and sometimes my Mother's hair.  A hot comb was placed on the stove until it was very hot.  Then the comb was cooled just a bit by wiping it on a towel.  A small section of your hair would be parted, oil (Hair Rep) added and the the comb was applied.  It was an art, if the comb was too hot it would burn your hair and it could fall out.  But just the right amount of oil and the right temperature comb worked like magic.  The hot comb was dragged from the scalp to the end of the hair.  This was repeated until all the hair was straightened.  After that the curling iron was heated.  Small sections of your hair were parted and the curling iron twisted into your hair creating a large curl.  Afterward your hair could be styled any way you wanted.  I remember feeling so glamorous and pretty after the long ordeal.  We wore foam rollers to bed and tied our hair in silk scarves to protect it.  This 'pressing' would last several weeks.  Water and any kind of moisture would undo a pressing.
 
                                                             Journey Three-The age of perms
 For many African Americans a perm was a way to straighten the hair. (I can remember many conversations with my white friends about why I permed my hair.  Their experience was that perming your hair was a way to get waves and curls, the exact opposite of the reason African Americans permed their hair)  Chemicals were placed on your hair, combed through and then rinsed out.  The process took an hour or so but the results were like pressing your hair and it didn't take all day.  Perms lasted longer but moisture was still not our friend.  Moisture would take the curl out of your do.  After a perm you could roll and set your hair overnight and style your hair in the morning.  This required sleeping on rollers overnight for years and avoiding getting your hair wet or damp.
 
                                                             Journey Four- The Natural/Afro
As styles changed and our country changed African American hair reflected the times.  We went from being Negroes to being Black and Proud, both of who we were and what we looked like.  We embraced our skin color and our kinky hair.  Proud Blacks sported the Afro or Natural.  For me this was an exciting time.  At last we could wear our hair the way it grew out of our heads, no chemicals, low maintenance and all you needed was an afro-pick.  (Truthfully we still fussed over our hair to make sure it was shaped right and attractive and for many women the more like Angela Davis the better).  A Natural for me meant freedom, we were redefining what beautiful meant. 

  

    


 After the 70's we had a choice of what we wanted our hair to look like.  Perms were back, some people continued to wear a Natural but s shorter, closer version.  I experimented with a couple of New Wave styles before getting a Hairdresser that cut my hair in such a way that it reflected my life style.  I tried some crazy colors and at last went back to the new and improved perm.  This meant going back to rollers and now a hot curling iron.  My hair took 30-45 minutes in the morning before work.  I liked how it looked so I made the sacrifice.

The last leg of my journey was one that I struggled with the longest.  I remember seeing Whoopi Goldberg for the first time and wondering what she had done to her hair.  I didn't dislike it, and I became curious about it.  I grew to love it and wanted to take the plunge myself.  It took me years before I decided to do it,  then in 1999 I decided to lock my hair.  I went to my hairdresser for the last time and told her to cut my hair.  She cut my hair to 1 inch all over.  When my hair grew to 2 inches the process began.  At 2 inches I found a Salon that specialized in dreadlocks or locked hair.  The hair stylist washed my hair and twisted sections of my hair.  Every 2 weeks I came back to have this repeated.  After several months the twisted hair started to adhere to itself or "lock."  I continued trips to the Salon for about 4 months.  After my hair locked, I could take care of it myself and no longer went to the Salon. (in fact I haven't been back since)  Locked hair can be washed and styled and colored and cut and  it stays locked.  To date this has been my favorite hair style.  It's natural, I can get it wet, it's a statement, I can sleep on it, and I just wash it and go!  I will admit it does take a while to dry naturally but in the Summer it's great!  It's also been a great teaching tool.  When I was teaching young children were curious about it and so I simply explained how my hair came to be like it is, I often invited them to touch it and they were surprised at how it felt.  On the other hand not so young adults were equally as curious and just simply touched without asking.  I have corrected some and asked others please not to and given them the same explanation as the children. It's a great lesson in respecting personal space.   Other adult friends are curious and I sometimes invite them to touch it.  It's an odd thing, this is the only hairstyle I've had that elicited that response.

                              These old School Ids show a little bit of the dreadlock journey. 

I've already begun thinking about what the next hair journey might look like.  Just wait and see, it's bound to have a story.