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Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
8,486 posts, read 15,009,875 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suburban_boy
I'm not saying we should get all of the credit, but we did play a huge role in shaping American culture. Ultimately, it was white folks and other groups who built a larger part of this country. However, Blacks not only built a large of this country, but more importantly, it was our cultural contributions blacks that help give this country an unique identity that would distinguish us from the British. An identity that would eventually be known as American Culture.
Very, very, very true.
Without African-Americans, the United States would probably just be Southern Canada. Real talk.
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
2,053 posts, read 4,397,112 times
Reputation: 699
Quote:
Originally Posted by Akhenaton06
Detroit has played a MAJOR role in African American history and culture, no doubt. I tend to think that it actually doesn't get the credit it deserves in this regard.
yea. I thinks its because people think the only thing we contributed was Motown. Motown was a MAJOR part in AA and Detroit cultures no doubt but we also have a nice lists of black politicians, actors, athletes, civil rights activists as well. Many people probly didn't know Ralph Bunche the first AA to recieve the nobel prize was from Detroit or Wallace Fard Muhammad was the founder of the NOI and was from Detroit. the NOI played a large role in AA culture for a while. Most people just credit everything with the Nation to Chicago without knowing it started here.
yea. I thinks its because people think the only thing we contributed was Motown. Motown was a MAJOR part in AA and Detroit cultures no doubt but we also have a nice lists of black politicians, actors, athletes, civil rights activists as well. Many people probly didn't know Ralph Bunche the first AA to recieve the nobel prize was from Detroit or Wallace Fard Muhammad was the founder of the NOI and was from Detroit. the NOI played a large role in AA culture for a while. Most people just credit everything with the Nation to Chicago without knowing it started here.
Very true. Both R&B and Gospel music can find its roots in Detroit, and the city via the automobile factories historically did more than just about any other city to propel Blacks to the middle class.
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
8,486 posts, read 15,009,875 times
Reputation: 7334
Quote:
Originally Posted by Akhenaton06
Detroit has played a MAJOR role in African American history and culture, no doubt. I tend to think that it actually doesn't get the credit it deserves in this regard.
That's true, and it does deserve credit. I think the reason why it doesn't get as much as it does, and the reason it is not cited as a Black Capital/Mecca is because of the events around the 1967 Detroit Uprising(It wasn't a riot). Despite not being in the South, segregation was a very real problem in Detroit from the Great Depression on. By the time the 60s came around, the city was in a near police state not because of crime but because the city decided that it would crack down on African-Americans who were wanting to assert their rights more and more.
One very telling story of just how bad the situation was from Martha Reeves (of Martha and the Vandellas fame) said that the police would even go so far as to break up (or arrest) any group of Black kids hanging out on a corner or a stoop even if they were just chatting or singing. The pressure built and built, and when the Police decided to raid a African-American bar where two GIs from Vietnam vets were celebrating (apparently just for kicks) a full scale revolt erupted.
By the time it was over, 43 people were dead, 467 were injured, thousands were arrested, hundreds of stores and houses were destroyed by the fires, and it was pretty much the first nail in the coffin for Detroit as it went on it's deep economic and population slide through the 70s, 80s, and 90s. You should really check out the BBC's "Requiem for Detroit" documentary on Youtube. It tells the story in much more detail.
Now, if none of that had happened and the city was able to come out of the Segregation era without any trouble, then I am convinced it would be probably the de facto Black Capital or at least duke it out with Atlanta and DC for the spot. Something truly beautiful could have happened there as African-Americans were largely middle class thanks to jobs at the car companies. But alas, history had other plans unfortunately...
That's true, and it does deserve credit. I think the reason why it doesn't get as much as it does, and the reason it is not cited as a Black Capital/Mecca is because of the events around the 1967 Detroit Uprising(It wasn't a riot). Despite not being in the South, segregation was a very real problem in Detroit from the Great Depression on. By the time the 60s came around, the city was in a near police state not because of crime but because the city decided that it would crack down on African-Americans who were wanting to assert their rights more and more.
One very telling story of just how bad the situation was from Martha Reeves (of Martha and the Vandellas fame) said that the police would even go so far as to break up (or arrest) any group of Black kids hanging out on a corner or a stoop even if they were just chatting or singing. The pressure built and built, and when the Police decided to raid a African-American bar where two GIs from Vietnam vets were celebrating (apparently just for kicks) a full scale revolt erupted.
By the time it was over, 43 people were dead, 467 were injured, thousands were arrested, hundreds of stores and houses were destroyed by the fires, and it was pretty much the first nail in the coffin for Detroit as it went on it's deep economic and population slide through the 70s, 80s, and 90s. You should really check out the BBC's "Requiem for Detroit" documentary on Youtube. It tells the story in much more detail.
Now, if none of that had happened and the city was able to come out of the Segregation era without any trouble, then I am convinced it would be probably the de facto Black Capital or at least duke it out with Atlanta and DC for the spot. Something truly beautiful could have happened there as African-Americans were largely middle class thanks to jobs at the car companies. But alas, history had other plans unfortunately...
Wow man, that's good info; thanks for sharing that. I'm still rooting for Detroit's comeback though.
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
2,053 posts, read 4,397,112 times
Reputation: 699
Quote:
Originally Posted by Akhenaton06
Very true. Both R&B and Gospel music can find its roots in Detroit, and the city via the automobile factories historically did more than just about any other city to propel Blacks to the middle class.
true at one point of time Detroit had some of the wealthiest blacks in the nation. The 67 riots combined with white flight, the crack epidemic and years of corrupt politicans is what put us in the position we're in now.
true at one point of time Detroit had some of the wealthiest blacks in the nation. The 67 riots combined with white flight, the crack epidemic and years of corrupt politicans is what put us in the position we're in now.
The same thing happened on the southside and westside of Chicago with the Madison Street Riots; the Watts riots in LA (1965); 1968 D.C. and Baltimore riots. These riots really scared the hell out of most whites and the black middle class. And it destroyed most of the Black and White-owned businesses.
I believe Detroit was the worse of them all and had the most impact on the city itself.
From my experience, that's typically because of the attitude constantly displayed by kazoopilot/flyingwriter: you're Black (at least partially), you consciously reject just about anything culturally Black, and you display this attitude of superiority towards Blacks who do embrace their culture. Types like these love to proclaim how much of an individual they are for "going against the grain" at least as far as the Black community is concerned, but then they strip other Black folk of their individuality by looking at them solely as members of a group and nothing more. That type of attitude just drives me batty.
AMEN.
anyway, ATL's friend reminds me of another friend that i had. she was exactly the type of person that akhenaton06 is talking about...and she carried herself as if she was better than the rest of us (except she talked to me...which i still can't understand why. actually i think she wanted to be with me but thats another topic). well her man was "embarrassed" by her whenever he was in front of family and certain friends. she was good enough to sleep with but not good enough for his family and not good enough for his friends where he was from.
interracial dating isn't necessarily what its cracked up to be whatever that is. there are many ppl even within interracial relationships that still hold some sort of prejudiced feelings about their partner's race and some that hold certain feelings about their own race.
the only reason that i didn't get with this girl is because i was not going to be the go to guy after she figured out she was dating for superficial reasons and that this guy was treating her like a *****.
but hell yeah she was a bad female. maybe in another life...
*edit*
actually i do understand why. i'm into talking about social issues, politics, traveling, etc. so i can carry on a convo about whatever and i was not the stereotypical black male that i guess she always believed all black men were like.
she saw me as an intellectual equal.
all of us aren't into "rims, weed, b's and money." although i'm into making money and lots of it, lol.
I don't consider there to be a "capital" of Black America. Also in this thread it seems to me that too many people are talking about just mainstream things rather than the whole picture. I do agree that if I had to pick a "capital" it would be Atlanta/metro, but I couldn't just say that without mentioning at least 10 other cities/areas.
DC, Chicago, Detroit, NYC, LA, New Orleans, Philly, Memphis, Houston, Cleveland, St. Louis, etc.
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maybe in another life...
