The Dream Of A Detroit Man Named Berry Gordy

To some, it can be argued that segregation was ended in 1954 so if housing is a problem, why don’t African American people just move. The issue is due to several programs that were created in the twentieth century that has held back minorities from homeownership. This lack of ability to be able to purchase and own a home on equal terms with white homeowner had a damaging effect of impacting

During the mid-20th century there was much racial discrimination, specifically in home ownership. During this period there was mass immigration of Southern blacks to the north. In Lawndale Chicago, there was adverse reactions to this. As the

Motown helped break down some racial barriers during this era. America during this era was one of gross racial stereotypes. Motown forced America to confront its own feelings about race, community, intolerance, justice and reality. Motown coincided with the emergence of the civil rights movement and both were inextricably linked. Motown was a type of prelude for Dr. Martin Luther King; it helped set the stage for the major changes that were underway. Motown broke many of the traditional stereotypes of African Americans. This music was the backbone for conversation, particularly the young, and initiated an intense re-examination of some prevalent stereotypes. It was long overdue don’t you think? My grandmother told me that when she was growing up during the sixties she can remember her mother yelling at her to “turn off that nigger trash!”, but my grandmother could’ve cared less, she had friends who were African American and there was nothing wrongful with listening to the music, but things were different in New York, not much different but forgiving enough to let children form their own opinions on the music and the artists behind it.

Beale Street, which is commonly known as the “heart of Memphis” is one of Memphis’s most famous places to visit and is known for people having a good time. Beale Avenue was established in 1841, by a self-made entrepreneur by the name of Robertson Topp, the name was later changed to Beale Street. Whether it is the mouth watering food venues, wild nightlife, or even the bands playing blues, people are drawn to Beale Street with the expectations to experience a great time. However, Beale Street has not always been home for unforgettable strip of neon lights and local bands, lined with bars and small walk-in eateries. For some, we are unaware of Beales true history, and the exploratory measures that African Americans experienced

For some, whose body was of a darker pigment than their neighbors, life was lived with constant disturbing fear. This way of life could never be understood by a white man. In Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson says, while on the witness stand, “‘Mr. Finch, if you were a nigger like me, you'd be scared too’” (195). Robinson knows he suffers a greater consequence than if a white man were in his unfortunate situation, and in his attempt to enlighten Mr. Finch of this, he gives us an insight at how blacks and whites lived contrasting lives during the time period. According to Robert Pratt, author of African Americans, “Poverty, crime, and despair plagued the black communities.” Crime rate was sky-high in black communities most likely because it was easier to win a case against a black man than against someone of white skin. Another possibility for such a high crime rate could be that they were poor, needy, and most likely envious of families of lighter color. The author of Hardship and Hope: America and the Great Depression, Victoria Sherrow, says, “By the 1930’s, many African-Americans had left the rural South for northern cities, where they hoped to be treated more equitable and find better jobs” (49). However, although one million Southern blacks moved to the south with high hopes between 1910 and 1930, most of them quickly discovered that the north did not hold the solution to their

The lack of opportunity provided to African Americans and other minority demographics to enjoy the plunder of the post-war economy, including better education and housing, exposes the shortcoming of what we now remember as one of the most prosperous times in American history. Because of the prevalence of systematic racism towards African Americans, through the lack of equal treatment and opportunity, many African Americans could not enjoy a similar quality of life to white

The 1950’s and 60’s were a frightening time to live in for African American’s. It was time that was full of hate and bigotry. An era where hate ran so deeply through the veins of people in the South and the roots and history of the land they walked on.

It was a way to constraint African Americans to areas that were far away from those with status, class, and power. Segregation led to discrimination in economic opportunities, housing, and education. The black culture has suffered from the barriers that were placed through segregation. However, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 tried to limit some of the discrimination associated with segregation. It was discovered that even a “rising economic status had little or no effect on the level of segregation that blacks experience” (Massey and Denton 87). The authors imply that “black segregation would remain a universal high” (Massey and Denton 88). The problem with the continuing causes in Segregation is that even though the Fair Housing act was placed, many realtors still discriminate against blacks “through a series of ruses, lies, and deceptions, makes it hard for them to learn about, inspect, rent, or purchase homes in white neighborhoods” (Massey and Denton 97). Segregation and discrimination have a cumulative effect over time. Massey and Denton argued that the “act of discrimination may be small and subtle, together they have a powerful cumulative effect in lowering the probability of black entry into white neighborhood” (98). William Julius Wilson had

The essay “My Dungeon Shook” examines the issue of racial inequality in America and the limitations that have been positioned because of narrow minded thinking. Not only does the essay address the new and next generation of black people but it also educates white people about the experience of being a black man in the 1960’s in America.

Hannah-Jones examines the impact residential segregation: “Cities have largely been abandoned by white Americans, you have massive public housing projects, where nearly everyone in there is black and poor, and even if you’re middle class and black, you can’t move out” (Hannah-Jones, This American Life). Thus the government promoted segregation by redlining black communities, and white Americans moved into suburbs. And although the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was intended to end residential discrimination, Updike and Hannah Jones describe the lack of progress: “We no longer have segregation by law, but we still have segregation by fact, and this moderate view says that there's nothing we can or should do about it” (Hannah-Jones, This American Life). With residential segregation as an absolute fact, black Americans are left to suffer in unescapable ghettos – and often turn to drugs and violence – while white Americans enjoy extreme privilege. Michelle Alexander explores the significance of this discrepancy in her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of

From songs like “My Girl” by The Temptations to “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye, Motown has had a number of successes. Other similar artists Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross, as well as many more, help create this small-record company, founded on $800, into a powerhouse in the music industry. Motown Records had well over 100 hit singles throughout the sixties and seventies, and continued this push longer until it’s dissolvement in the 21st century. Motown created a new a mixed sound that resonated with the people and spoke message of social justice from its artists. It was pop music that wasn’t supposed to be.

At a point in history where there was so much controversy over segregation and where minorities were treated unfairly it was easy to see that there was no one solution to such a problem. One may have anticipated that the road to equal rights would be a long and bumpy one. However, they may not have anticipated that a start up record label out of Detroit would play an important role in the movement towards Civil Rights. This record label would change the face of music in the 60s to allow for young African-American artists to enter the scene with a fighting chance.

The 1960s were a period of political and social change and Motown oversaw to get by as well as to surpass every single past desire for an African American possessed and worked business. Since Berry Gordy could execute standards from the Civil Rights Movement, he made a business that not just helped the Civil Rights Movement by empowering integrationist standards, however at the same time refuted years of negative generalizations that were utilized to mistreat African Americans. 1960s youth went gaga for the "Motown Sound" and numerous white youth immediately understood the backwardness of their folks' segregationist strategies. Motown was grasped by the 1960s era and its effect can be seen through films like The Big Chill and the Broadway play, now motion picture, Dreamgirls. Stories that consider the 1960s are deficient without the Motown stars and their unbelievable sound. Staying in front of prevalent patterns in music, and popular society, Motown could turn into a definitive image for free dark private enterprise. Motown flourished in the assorted and racially and politically warmed

In 1950's and 1960's, Many African Americans have been discriminated and harassed because they’re not white. Because of their differences, they couldn't vote, they couldn't sit near White American's, they didn't get paid as much as white people did, they couldn't get the same jobs as Americans, and did not have the same housing as americans.

The deprived African-American’s were not even allowed to pick their numbers; they were obligated to perform jazz-like music that mocked their heritage. This was such an abuse of power, the performers and waiters felt like “house pets”, “animals” and “barbarians”. However, there wasn’t anywhere else they could do what they love and make a steady income – or make a steady income at all. Sadly, the Cotton Club successfully help the stereo types of the African-Americans and enhanced the racial divide. There were even race riots once or twice a month, these eventually caused the Harlem club to close down in 1936, toward the end of the “Jazz Age”.