to the next Fest, I wanted nothing to do with it. I called no one a racist nor did I call anyone any names.
C. Anthony Brasfield
The St. Louis American made a commendable decision to go forth with Jamala Rogers’ column. It is abhorrent to see Ms. Rogers assailed by local music people…who feel these topics fall in the category of “kindergarten journalism.” Let’s move forward with the issues.
Anaalu Nomil
Jamala Rogers’ articles about the omission of one of the area’s most traveled reggae bands was proper journalism…Discussion is important if there exists a perception of unfair treatment…good journalists provoke thought. Open, aware minds resolved issues. Professor Skank and Protein Williams should work together to advance reggae music in St. Louis.
From Blackface to Black Faces
March, 2002
As Hollywood gets ready to give top honors in the movie industry, black folks cross their fingers and toes that we will be duly represented among the Oscar recipients. Historically, Tinsel Town has looked over great performances by African American actors and actresses. I say “looked over” as opposed to over-looked because overlooked implies an honest mistake. If we look at our relationship with the Academy of Arts and Science since its founding in 1927, it may reveal what we can realistically expect on Oscar night.
Our struggle to get into Hollywood has been a tortuous one, from blackface to black faces. The Oscar committee looks at these movies through the eyes of individuals. Race and gender of actors, the subject matter, and the conditions going on in the world at the time determine their choices. There have even been times when total subjectivism colored awards to white actors. For example, many observers believe that James Stewart’s Best Actor award in “Philadelphia Story” was a sympathy vote because Stewart lost out the year before in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Elizabeth Taylor was given Best Actress for her role in Butterfield 8 because of a near fatal illness.
This kind of sympathy never seems to be extended to blacks. This year for only the second time in Academy history, three of the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees are African American performers. There is Denzel Washington in Training Day, Will Smith in Ali, and Halle Berry in Monsters Ball. This happened for the first time in 1972 when Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson were nominated for their starring roles in Sounder and Diana Ross was nominated for her leading role in Lady Sings the Blues. Paul, Cicely (one of my personal favorites) and Diana all walked away empty-handed that year. Some of you may be thinking, “Didn’t we win something in 1985 with the mega hit, The Color Purple?” Uh-uh, that was a mix of leading and supporting roles. Whoopi Goldberg was nominated as Best Actress, while Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey were nominated for Best Supporting Actress. They, too, went home disappointed. All three, plus Danny Glover, had stellar performances in The Color Purple, which received Oscar wins in several other categories.
Here is the short of it. In the almost seventy-five years since the Academy has been picking, their pickings of us have been slim. Only 39 nominations for lead or supporting roles by black actors and actresses have been made during that time. For Black Trivians, you know that Hattie McDaniels was the first African American to win an Oscar. She got Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gone with the Wind. Another Oscaree didn’t come along until Sidney Poitier in 1963. He was the first and only black actor ever to win a Best Actor. That’s one for the brothers and zero for the sisters. In the last 20 years, Lou Gossett, Jr., Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Whoopi Goldberg have received Oscars for their supporting roles. By the looks of what roles and what movies receive Oscar honors, one might conclude that serious acting, with a positive role and plot is a dead give-away that no Oscar should be expected by black artists. I’m talking about roles like Denzel in Malcolm X and Hurricane, Angela Bassett in What’s Love Got to Do with It, and many others throughout movie history.
If I had only one chip to play now, I’d put it on Will Smith in Ali, so that an honorable figure such as Muhammad Ali would be elevated on yet another plateau. Odds are that a renegade cop running amuck or a spineless female whose breasts received more attention than her acting are more likely winners - if we have any.
Postscript: Will Smith was nominated for his role as Muhammad Ali but Best Actor went to Denzel Washington for his role in Training Day. Halle Berry won Best Actress in Monster’s Ball.
Hair Me Out
February, 2003
Some years ago, I was commissioned to write an article in defense of black hair, when the now-defunct Trans World Airlines (TWA) was hassling African American women about wearing cornrows. Cornrows, whose origin dates back to ancient Mother Africa, are thin rows of braids woven into intricate patterns and designs. Sometimes they are mistakenly referred to as French braids but French women stole the idea from Africa during the colonial period. This, and more, is what I discovered when I began the research for the article. The research also affirmed for me the important role of hair for black women all over the world and its impact on our notion of beauty. African women do more with their hair and heads than women of any other culture. We have historically put beads, jewels and other forms of adornment in our hair. And yes, even sometimes color from berries or clay has been added to enhance the beauty of a black woman’s hair. Since our capture and transport to the North America shores, our obsession with hair didn’t stop, but it was sure affected by European standards of beauty, from straightening to hair color. Sadly enough, nappy hair is now almost a fad.
A fad implies consumer manipulation for profit and big business it is. African-Americans spend 50-60% more on hair products than white consumers. Black women alone spend over a billion dollars annually on hair. Madam C.J. Walker became the first black, female millionaire from the straightening of nappy hair. Move over, Sister Walker. White manufacturers like Alberto-Culver and Revlon have gotten control of more than half the market for black hair care products. If L’Oreal is successful in acquiring the makers of Dark and Lover, they will dominate 2/3 of the market share of black hair color products. Koreans didn’t sit around watching the dollars pass them by. They now own 60% of all the beauty supply stores in this country, most of which were black-owned at one time. How black folks let the lucrative hair care industry slip from their fingers is the subject of another column.
Jamala has worn the natural look from Afros to cornrows
to dreadlocks. Clockwise: Jamala during her college years
(1969), then much later (2008). Here David Kaczynski and
Jamala share concerns about the death penalty on his visit to
St. Louis. At the time, they both headed up local chapters of the
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. (2002)
It has been about eighteen months since I cut my dreadlocks. In some ways, the reaction to the cut was as dramatic as when I started the locks fifteen years ago. I thought I was going to have to give some folks CPR. For many, the change was so radical they didn’t even recognize me - including my own mama! While I have worn various forms of natural hair for the past thirty five years, it was the locks that got to enjoy the most years on my head. Partly because of the resistance by the backward St. Louis culture, I was determined not to let anybody, whether they were black or white, dis nappy hair or discriminate against it. That took much longer than I thought. But the bigger reason for keeping them for so long was the fascination I developed in watching them grow. Each
