Celebrate Black Genius!
Sandra M. Donnay, Ph.D. (she/her)
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Black people are typically not described as geniuses, or intelligent, for that matter, but think about the fortitude and ingenuity of Blacks in that every one of our inventions and achievements was accomplished under a system of historical or contemporary oppression! Consider three prodigies: Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, and Jay Z. Just three of the numerous African Americans who outsmarted a system of racial oppression to develop American music. They did not have the financial or structural support, to develop their crafts, that many of our middle-class children enjoy.
- Neither Aretha Franklin nor Duke Ellington could read or write music when they learned to play the piano. Duke created his first composition at age 14, by ear.
- Jay Z did not graduate high school, but his business acumen surpasses many of his Ivy League educated counterparts - he is regarded as the first rapper to attain billionaire status (narrowly beating out another rapper and genius business mogul, Dr. Dre).
- Blacks used their genius to survive unimaginable oppressive conditions and made America the nation that it is today!
Black genius echoes Maya Angelou’s famous words, “Still I Rise”! They received no reparations. With everything taken from them, Blacks used what they did have - the ingenuity in their DNA. They pioneered rock-n-roll (Chuck Berry); gospel (Thomas Dorsey); jazz (Louis Armstrong); rap (Run DMC); R&B (Ray Charles); soul (Gladys Night and the Pips); and the blues (W.C. Handy). Music pioneered by Black people can be heard in every aspect of contemporary life. For example, rap and soul can be heard as soundtracks in media advertising campaigns and in movies. Adele, Madonna, and Sam Smith are just a few of the world -renowned artists who incorporate gospel, jazz, and soul in their compositions. Give Black people some R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Celebrate their genius each and every day!
"Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two." - Octavio Paz
3 年Thanks for sharing Sandra M. Donnay, Ph.D., C.P.A. (she/her)! Another genius often not given his due credit was Bo Diddley, born in my mother’s hometown of McComb, Mississippi. Without the ‘Bo Diddley Beat’ there would have been no Elvis, no Beatles, no Stones, no Clash or any of their musical progeny. America would not be the great place it is without the contributions of this genius. #thisisamerica #blacklivesmatter #creditisdue
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3 年What a wonderful tribute to these very talented individuals as we celebrate Black History Month, though talent like this should be celebrated EVERY month! My mother was a music educator and my very first concert I ever attended when I lived in New Jersey was Diana Ross and the Supremes and Stevie Wonder. It might have been the Garden State Arts Center, when I lived in S. Bound Brook or Watchung. I think I was about 10 years old and it really made an impression on me. Thanks for sharing this Sandra M. Donnay, Ph.D., C.P.A. (she/her). #blackhistorymonth #music #talent #success #inspiration