From: Bob Davis (earthjuice_at_prodigy.net)
Date: 2003-10-09 15:03:46
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-soul-patrol_at_davisind.com
> [mailto:owner-soul-patrol_at_davisind.com]On Behalf Of Kevin Amos
> Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 7:33 AM
> To: sp digest; afromus-l_at_afrovoices.com
> Subject: soul-patrol: Words of W. C. Handy......are you ashamed of the
> Blues?
> Back in March of 1952 W.C. Handy was speaking to a
> largely White group in Cleveland.
>
> He stated..."The Negro is losing his great heritage in
> America by turning up his nose at Blues and Ragtime
> music".
> "Negroes who ape White musicians, and lose their
> identities in the process, will find themselves left
> out of the picture then."
>
> Whenever you think you're going crazy and feel that
> you are not fighting hard enough...think again.
>
> By any means necessary,
>
Kevin,
Thanks for posting this.
WC Handy's point is well taken.
I think that sometimes it is easier to be apologetic, make excuses, point fingers or even
worse than to deal with the embarassing and painful truth.
We all know what it is.
But we don't want to discuss it.
We don't want to do what is required in order to effect change.
We would much rather ignore it and hope that it will go away.
At the recent East Coast Soul-Patrol Convention, during our afternoon program we had two
forums that dealt with this topic:
1. Blues From Africa To Today (Presented by Bradley Alston)
http://soul-patrol.net/africa_blues.ram
2. Preserving Black Music/Culture (Moderated by Kevin Amos and featuring Rick Wilson,
Nia-Dawne Williams and Darrall McNeil - soon to be broadcast on Soul-Patrol.Net Radio)
WE MUST BE WILLING TO ACCEPT ACCOUNTABILITY
FOR OUR OWN PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
Till we are willing to do that, then we need to stop complaining about white people!
(it's just that simple)
And till we learn THAT lesson, our children will be faced with carrying the burden of our own
unwillingness to confront the truth and to deal with it...
So what's it gonna take for us to WAKE UP?
I don't really know, but my feeling is that we are probably going to have to reach ROCK BOTTOM
(and we haven't gotten there yet....)
However I do know that part of the answer to the question resides in the past.
And it resides in the words of people like WC Handy...
(Maybe it's time we started to pay attention?)
Thanks Kevin for reminding us...
------------------------
"The Negro is losing his great heritage in
America by turning up his nose at Blues and Ragtime
music".
"Negroes who ape White musicians, and lose their
identities in the process, will find themselves left
out of the picture then."
--WC Handy
------------------------
_________
Bob Davis
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