Black Entertainment as Resistance

Damien Cooper

My digital exhibit examines the history of Black efforts to mobilize and establish the Black aesthetic and lifestyle as a major creative influence in the face of oppression and prejudice. Through the blunt retelling of the Black experience in the form of stories and vignettes, African American performers have both examined and critiqued the various aspects of Black life that separate them from their white counterparts, such as poverty and racial violence. The Black creative can utilize the angst and inner turmoil that arises from these degrading situations to both motivate and weaponize their storytelling by directly confronting their audience with the bleak conditions that Black Americans must face when existing in a predominately white society especially one that is built upon the principles upheld by white men, the demographic that benefits most from this racial division. The artifacts within this exhibit showcase various techniques used by the black community in the performative arts to draw attention to the Black community and to shelter itself from the entertainment industry’s prejudices that threatened to snuff out Black representation. Historically, African Americans involved in the performative arts frequently used collaboration, social criticism, and the reconnecting with our ancestors to motivate viewers into pursuing Black equality and to call attention to the many injustices that plague our community. I can attest to the power of storytelling as a means to spread awareness of a cause, as doing so not only helps me to release my angst but also helps me promote my ideals. My goal in creating this exhibit is to share this experience by reminding the Black community of the potential power that lies within the art of performative entertainment- how it can serve as a call to action for us and all our allies to uplift ourselves and confront the institutions that have oppressed us for so long.

“2 Cups Of Blackness” promotional flier, 1982.

Series 2, 2 Cups of Blackness, circa 1982, Box: 39, Folder: 1. Countee Cullen-Harold Jackman memorial collection, 0000-0000-0000-0034. Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. http://findingaids.auctr.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/51372 Accessed May 01, 2023.

“2 Cups of Blackness” was marketed as “a poetic view of the Black experience past, present, and future”. It was a multimedia showcase, made up of spoken word performances, live readings, skits, and dance performances that focused on the subject of Black life and the colored mentality. What makes this performance so significant is its focus on the dank conditions that Black Americans faced from post-colonialism to what white supremacy could evolve into in the future. Through empathetic social criticism, the works included within this experience push the audience to empathize and integrate themselves with Black aesthetics, and thus feel the same pain that Black people faced when those aesthetics were taken away and persecuted. In 1982, fueled by the angst of the rapidly progressing crack epidemic and the early stages of the HIV/AIDS crisis, This performance acted as a beacon to call Black Americans and their allies to draw connections between the past persecutions of Black people and their modern-day equivalents.

“Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death” promotional flier, 1983. and NY Times review, 1971.

Series 2, Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death, 1971-1983, Box: 39, Folder: 50. Countee Cullen-Harold Jackman memorial collection, 0000-0000-0000-0034. Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. http://findingaids.auctr.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/51420 Accessed May 01, 2023.

Considered a “scathing critique” of Black living conditions by the New York Times, “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death” was compared to the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald in its bleak portrayal of society’s flaws and biases, specifically on race relations (Barnes). Made up of a series of skits, the program acts as a magnifying glass to how America’s influence can negatively affect how Black citizens treat each other through colorism, the exposure of colored women to violence and exploitation, and the introduction of drugs and violence into their communities. The purpose of this performance was not to blame the Black community for their plights but to build empathy for the characters in the skits, meant to spread awareness of those who face these real problems in the real world.

“100 Amazing Facts About the Negro With Proof”, Circa 1985.

Series 2, 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro, undated, Box: 39, Folder: 7. Countee Cullen-Harold Jackman memorial collection, 0000-0000-0000-0034. Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. http://findingaids.auctr.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/51378 Accessed May 01, 2023.

This artifact is a pamphlet detailing 100 interesting facts involving Black individuals throughout history. The use of this pamphlet to not only entertain those who read it with interesting stories, but educate them by having the book only give information about examples of excellence from people of color makes this artifact a perfect example of weaponized entertainment. It allows for Black readers to be reintroduced and to connect with their ancestors through the recognition of their accomplishments and legacy. For potential non-Black readers, the pamphlet uses its examples of non-arguable proof of the events to call them to action in pursuing the widespread acknowledgment of Black excellence.

“Ain’t I a Woman”, 1982.

Series 2, Ain't I a Woman!, 1982, Box: 39, Folder: 47. Countee Cullen-Harold Jackman memorial collection, 0000-0000-0000-0034. Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. . http://findingaids.auctr.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/51417 Accessed May 01, 2023.

Clark College’s 1982 production of Shirlene Holmes’ “Ain’t I A Woman”, a one-act play about abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sojourner Truth, strongly relied upon the Black practice of paying honoring our ancestors, as the play is essentially an undramatized autobiography of the experiences in Truth’s life. By witnessing and experiencing them with Truth, sharing her traumas, inspirations, and achievements, the audience develops a strong sense of empathy for her and those that she loves. As a result, they develop a greater respect for Truth’s accomplishments as an abolitionist. The purpose of making a production like this was likely meant to evoke the same emotions in the viewer that motivated Truth, with the purpose of combating the problems that faced the Black community in the 80s, such as the crack epidemic and the HIV/AIDS crisis.

“42 St. Theatre Row”, undated

Series 2, 42nd Street Theatre Row, undated, Box: 39, Folder: 5. Countee Cullen-Harold Jackman memorial collection, 0000-0000-0000-0034. Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. http://findingaids.auctr.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/51376 Accessed May 01, 2023.

This artifact is a publication listing all theaters associated with the “42 Street Alliance”. Made up of the Black Theatre Alliance, The Harold Clurman Theatre, Playwright’s Horizons, INTAR, Hispanic-American Theatre, The Harlems Children’s Theatre Company, Lion Theatre Company, South Street Theatre, and The Nat Home Theatre, The street is explained to function as a co-op, meant to allow multiple primarily black theaters to share their supplies and performers, combine resources, and to function as a unitary organization in order to gain recognition in a predominantly-white industry. In this way, the 42 Street Alliance uses collaboration as a defensive tool, meant to protect the organizations affiliated with the alliance from the disadvantages of being a Black-owned or Black-managed business.

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