Growing up, two of my parent's favorite entertainers were famous African Americans Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr. They drooled over Nat's crooning and Sammy's tap dance routines. They would, however, have been pretty horrified if I'd ever brought home an African American boyfriend. My parents were typical of many white audiences. They thought in boxes. To my parents, Nat King Cole didn't represent any race or symbolize any political statement. He was just, well... Nat King Cole, an entertainer they liked. He existed in the magic world of television and when they switched the TV off, he was gone. Not much thought was given to the fact that when Nat and his family moved into a better neighborhood, as a result of his success, none of the neighbors spoke to them. He'd had the nerve to step outside the magic box.
This mindset of partial acceptance for famous African Americans was also evident in the world of sports. My Mother was a tennis nut, and greatly admired the quiet dignity of Arthur Ashe. She also followed boxing and loved to watch Muhammad Ali float like a butterfly. It was a safe enthusiasm for one of the most famous African Americans in history, and was never challenged by any demands of reality.
My parents were not prejudiced in the sense of thinking that being white was in any way superior. Being white was simply the norm for them. Black people coming into the community or the family circle were different, and being different was... awkward. Being different was troubling, like men with long hair. Famous African Americans were there to entertain us, not to start a social revolution.
For Middle America, Elvis Presley was the acceptable face of black music. Famous African Americans, even Aretha Franklin and James Brown, would never achieve the same amount of mainstream superstardom as the boy who sounded black but looked like the all American hero. Famous African Americans laid the foundations and the white interpreters lived the dream. There were attempts to redress the balance. The Rolling Stones once refused to appear on a British TV show unless Muddy Waters was invited to come on too. Muddy Waters was an African American hero of theirs, and they duly did a terrific show together.
It's been a long, hard road for famous African Americans. It's not that long ago that singers and musicians were not allowed to walk through the front door of the club they were booked to perform in. Billie Holliday knew all about going in the back door.
So, is anything different today? Now, Eminem is the acceptable face of rap music. Shades of Elvis there. Many famous African Americans of the younger generation make no attempt to ingratiate their way into cozy picket fence territory, but rather celebrate their color and their place in the urban mythology. White boys today like to pick up on black culture and language, but from a safe distance. They may fantasize about gorgeous, famous African Americans like Halle Berry, but how many of them would take her home to meet Mom? OK, bad example... I would!
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