The Civil Rights Movement and the freedom songs

Liridona Osmanaj

Blog 6

The civil rights movement, specifically the African-American civil rights movement was a movement, a struggle for equality before the law, which occurred approximately around 1950-1968. In fact, this movement was about far more than just civil rights under law; it was also about fundamental issues of freedom, respect, dignity, and economic and social equality. Even though the government was saying that the white and black Americans were “separate but equal”, everyone knew and saw that it was not true. When I first started studying American history, I saw pictures of the water fountains, and public restrooms, etc., for the black and white people in the U.S; and even though what was available for the whites people, was available for the black people, too; those public services were very different. I mean the ones for white Americans were so clean, and luxurious, and those of black people were old, and dirty- even animals have better conditions. I do not know how people could call that equality. I wonder what their definition of equality was.  There were also other factors as the churches, colleges and the NAACP which played a role in the movement, but no cultural force played a greater role at all levels of struggle more than the freedom songs. Music was the key force in shaping, spreading and sustaining the movement’s culture and through culture its politics. The role that music played in the direction that the civil rights movement took in the 1950s and 1960s can never be overstated. Singing seemed to have a wide appeal across class, regional, generational, gender, and other elements of difference. Singing established group and community. For instance, for the organizers the value of the freedom songs lay in their capacity to take liberation messages in the black preaching tradition and make them available to ordinary people. Freedom songs are one of the best records we have of the transformation of consciousness in the ordinary people, the masses, who took part in the movement, says Bernice Johnson. Music was used for both communication and inspiration among the black people.  For example when one watches videos of those marches one is drawn to the rhythms of the music, the notion of how different those events would have been without the music.  As Bernice Johnson says songs are very important in capturing the culture. “News reports covering the Movement always used the singing as a way of trying to tell the story of the power of what was going on”, she adds. So when you talk about the culture of the Movement, it is important that you draw from the rich music database. Also, one of the very first things she talks about is the suggestion that when you think about freedom songs and the Civil Rights Movement is to not actually think of freedom songs as if they were created strategically by the Movement. Just like the breath of the Movement, they were a natural outpouring, evidencing the life force of the fight for freedom.  Furthermore, she says that the freedom songs and the Civil Rights Movement that birthed the songs and singing charged the national music culture. Popular music followed the concerns that were raised about justice, about getting along with each other, about challenging injustice. Black and White musicians of the day explored those issues in their music. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/reflect/r03_music.html

                The songs that end up as freedom songs function in the Movement as 'congregational' songs. Congregational songs are started by a songleader -- a songleader is different from a soloist. A soloist is someone who can execute the entire song. A songleader is someone who starts the song, and if that performance is successful, it is successful not only because of the prowess of the leader but because people who are located within the sound of that voice join in to raise the song into life. The congregational singing. It is the kind of singing I grew up with in the Black church, in school, on the playground. The freedom songs that were sung the most were adapted from the repertoire that people already knew. If you went to a specific local community, you could find things out through the songs used in that community. According to Bernice Reagon, the freedom songs were battle songs. They tell us something about nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement. When we take a look at these songs you understand that song carried people in the struggle. Those songs were sung in mass meetings, gatherings, churches, marches, etc.  Those songs, the freedom songs were a kind of a warm-up thing to get people involved, to get people to relax.

The song “This little light of mine” is one of my favorite songs. Every time I sing it, I sing it with all my heart. I think its lyrics is powerful and when you get both the melody and the lyrics, it just makes you join singing.   http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/story/09_summer.html#music

                Just the fact that even after those years that music is still famous it shows the effect it has had. I mean just looking at the audience, and several white people singing these songs prove the point.  The civil rights movement was a very magnificent factor in the history of the U.S and known all over the world. And music is what helps us see what the black community went through. And by remembering those hard times those people went through; remind us to not take for granted our rights today, and also makes us conscious to not repeat those injustices again. And at the same time, while people from certain different parts of world today are struggling for rights, they could take this as a model to protest in a non-violent way.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june10/music_02-11.html

American Labor Movement from Joe Hill to Joe Glazer

The American Labor movement was a movement created by an organized group of working people/laborers to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers. In the U.S, driven by wage cuts and poor working conditions, violent outbreaks of strikes and a long series of battles occurred all over the country because the government was not willing to intervene. In order to achieve their goals those laborers had to get together and create labor unions. Workers created unions because groups have more bargaining power than individuals. When large groups of employees make joint decisions, employers are forced to listen to their concerns. For example, if all the workers in a factory stopped working at the same time, it would be difficult to keep the company operating. One of the very influential activists of this movement was Joe Hill. The music of Joe Hill was a uniting force that captured the spirit of the radical Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) labor movement. He chose a famous/familiar tunes and then added words to them; words that were against the wealthy elite and their exploitive behavior. This way the workers could express their concerns through songs. "A pamphlet, no matter how good, is never read more than once," Hill once wrote to a friend. "But a song is learned by heart and repeated over and over.”  Although he never recorded his songs, Hill's music was passed from voice-to-voice across America with certain songs emerging as anthems for struggling groups of men and women seeking to have better working conditions and the wages they deserve. His work laid a foundation for generations of future activists who would seek to express political, social and/or economic vision for change in song. In the link below, Paul Robeson, who is known for his activism in the civil rights movement, sings the song “I Thought I Heard Joe Hill Last Night”. This song shows the idea that Joe Hill’s contribution was so significant to the early labor movement that his presence continues to be felt in his absence; because through his songs he keeps being there beside the laborers when they go on to organize. Below is the link I referred to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Kxq9uFDes

 In the video “Joe Glazer discusses music in the American Labor Movement”, Joe Glazer claims that “everything in the issue of the labor movement depends on solidarity.” No matter how strong of an argument the workers had, he says, if they would not stick together they would lose it. Songs are important to build a solidary spirit just like in the church, in the army, etc. And you have to have that kind of spirit- the spirit of solidarity; and music helps to build that. Furthermore, he says that there were a lot of strikes without music; a lot of battles without music, but if you had music included, it is “like having an extra weapon” Here is the link that will take you to the video “Joe Glazer discusses music in the American Labor Movement”:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaQ7qWo6120.  Also, in Courtney Brown’s “Industrialization and the Rise of Labor Music” is mentioned how music functioned in the early American Labor movement. Just like Joe Glazer said, music brings solidarity, and that is what the workers needed during that time. For example, the I.W.W printed many of Joe’s songs in what became known as the Little Red Songbook. And although Joe Hill was unavailable sometimes, this songbook traveled well, and it seems certain that this made the laborers feel united and it made them feel like Joe Hill was with them as they organized. Many of these songs encouraged workers to join the I.W.W. “Everybody’s Joining” is a good example in this regard. And some of the songs called for action on the part of the laboring masses.

The song I chose is called “Mr. Block”. Joe Hill wrote “Mr. Block” to the tune of” It Looks to Me Like a Big Time Tonight” This is a satirical song which tells the story of a worker who fails to take a stand for his rights and falls into error upon error. I think this song could be used at any point in time for different social and political issues/injustices because the message it carries will always apply to someone; because there will always be someone who will not fight for his/her rights. There will always be an ignorant person who time and time again “falls for all the games of their many masters who exploit them to the limit"  In the link below you will find the lyrics and an audio file of the song “Mr. Block” by Joe Hill: http://www.kued.org/productions/joehill/voices/misterblock.html

BECOMING CHAMPIONS OF DIVERSITY

         First of all, we should all accept the fact that diversity exists in the world. Second, the struggle for equality is a universal challenge in this century. And third, we should understand what divides and unites us in order to live in harmony with each other. Appreciation of diversity is important because it teaches us to accept differences in others and look beyond the language, culture, race and color.  By understanding diversity – learning about different cultures; their dressings and eating habits; and their value systems will help us to see the world from different points of view, and therefore, we become more educated individuals. Also, if anyone ever travels to any other part of the world, adjustment will be really easy because they are used to being with a diverse group of people, etc. The most important thing is that if we do not accept diversity, we are not accepting differences in other people. If we do not accept differences, there will be no equality. If there is no equality, there is NO HARMONY.  For instance, the people of Staten Island wanted to see a better Staten Island – they all wanted peace and understanding. Their goal mission was: education through interaction” But in order for this interaction between people to work, they had to break the barriers, which in this case were the differences, the cultural barriers.     

Therefore, they were trying to “create more and varied opportunities for people to explore and reflect on their differences.”

         After the Towers fell in 2001, the Staten Island people were going through feelings of sadness, fear, anger, and anger. So, the staff of NYCID knew that these feeling needed to be addressed. So, they brought together a lot of Islanders with different backgrounds for an intercultural and interactive pot-luck dinner. Except for the Islanders, there were also other people such as civic, religious and political leaders who came to share their feeling about the present issue. In the beginning of the evening there was tension, because there were different people; people who did not know each other; people from different backgrounds. But, through facilitated dialogue, when the evening was over, everyone was amazed at the progress that was made. So, the NYCID agreed to keep doing this interactive meeting once a month, where people would learn more about each other. As they went along to work on the festival Celebrating Diversity, they realized that people were getting hungry. So, they decided to create an area in the event that would allow cultures to bring their ethnic foods and sell them to community. By this people would grow culturally by sharing ethnic foods. They also made it possible to include media in this event, so they could spread diversity awareness.

         Diversity appreciation is important for Westminster College, too, just as it is for any community. But, I would say that it is very important for Westminster College because we have a lot of International students. This school is known for consisting diversity. It forces students to challenge their assumptions and to learn. So, instead of just using it as an advertisement tool, its members should actually appreciate it.  Furthermore, one of the main goals of Westminster College is to create good leaders. And to do that those students should appreciate diversity because their feelings about/reactions towards people in those groups can powerfully affect the type of leader they become. To prepare students for a life in a diverse society, and to help protect them from bias and discrimination, teachers should encourage students’ positive feelings about themselves while fostering understanding and acceptance of differing beliefs, values and traditions. We should include diversity in class discussions more often. And when discussing diversity, teachers should stress human similarities first, and then help students appreciate people’s differences. No one needs to have “all the answers ready” before discussing anti-bias topics, even teachers. Our own positive self-identity, our interest in, curiosity about and respect for others, and even our ignorance or misunderstandings, are all part of the journey toward honoring diversity. Since a person can best try to understand a different culture by experiencing what it is like to attend a cultural event of a different ethnicity other than their own, then domestic students should attend the International Clubs more frequently. Also, we could probably organize a “food event” which would happen once a month, where for each month a certain nationality group of students would cook their ethnic food, and others could attend and try it. As the American population changes, college graduates will need even more the skills and desire to deal with individuals with a wide array of backgrounds and perspectives. That is why diversity is important at Westminster College.

Broadside ballads : Their importance & My opinion about them

A broadside ballad is a descriptive song that intends to raise awareness of a contemporary social or political issue. It is in a ballad form, and its purpose is to be sung by the population instead of the artist. . A ballad usually has a phrase that is repeated several times and it usually has a significant importance. That phrase is like the thesis in an essay.

The reason they are important and better than a poem is that they are more expressive than a poem or a story.

For example, songs that are really famous, which everybody knows, have been added a lyrics that contained people’s opinions about politics, injustices, wars, recent crimes, executions, etc. So, when peope sing those songs they are not just singing them but they are feeling the meaning of it and trying to express what they have inside, so they would get people’s attention and hopefully get support from others and get out of the bad situate they are in.

Therefore, people would be more attracted to a song they know and to a melody they are familiar with than just read a poem, which to me is kind of boring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iAIM02kv0g

This link has a broadside ballad that I chose and it is called “Which side are you on”. This song was written by Florence Reece in 1931. She was the wife of a union organizer in Kentucky. In 1931 the miners of that region were locked in a bitter and violent struggle with the mine owners. Just to intimidate the Reece family, deputies hired by the mining company illegally entered and searched the Reece family home. Sam Reece, Florence’s husband had been warned in advance and escaped, but Florence and their children were terrorized in his place. That night, after the men had gone, Florence wrote the lyrics to "Which Side Are You On?” She took the melody from a traditional Baptist hymn called "Lay the Lily Low".

Now that I know what the actual meaning of a ballad is, and how it has helped to rise awareness about different issues, the value of music has increased even more for me. I think broadside ballads give more than just lyrics because it is not only a poem nor only a song but it is both combined and it expresses the feelings of the mass; and not only a simple feeling, but something that they cannot express in any other way and which actually scratches them inside of their heart.