The black civil and political rights phase of the struggle came in the difficult postwar period, making it impossible for most citizens to find a way to assert their freedoms. At the same time, the media evolved: television became commonplace, and newspapers were regular and relevant. Radio became the key to spreading Black music because it allowed all of America to hear that their country’s democracy was not as perfect as the government was promising.
The media released records of typical black styles on the radio: jazz, blues, soul. Occasionally rock and roll novelties would slip in and out, which quickly spread around the country (Redd, 1985). I want to focus on how, with the help of the media, James Brown conveyed the reality of America to the public. In 1968 he released a song about the Black community, “Say It Loud It Loud/I’m Black & I’m Proud.” He tells his story that society suffers from a lack of fundamental rights based on skin color (BlackConsumers, 2011). Brown calls for unity because centuries of oppression of Black people are not conducive to the democratic development of the country. After the song came out, articles about it appeared on radio and television: more people began to take an interest in the song’s subject. It made people believe Brown and change their attitude and consequently sponsored him for further success.
I think this song fits the role of a critical hot media headline through which we learn about the milieu of the ’50s-’70s. It reflects the social unrest of Black people who were confined to their communes and even embarrassed about their skin (Mitchell & Chakrabati, 2018). It Served as an impetus to rethink Black music and changed how it was perceived in society.
References
BlackConsumers. (2011). Say It Loud It Loud. I’m Black & I’m Proud [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Mitchell, Z. & Chakrabati, M. (2018). ‘Say It Loud’: 50 years ago, James Brown redefined Black pride. Wbur. Web.
Redd, L. N. (1985). Rock! It’s still rhythm and blues. The Black Perspective in Music, 13(1), 31-47.