Educational resources for:
Sports and Entertainment: Actors, Athletes and the Black Community
Thematic Overview
As the era of segregated entertainment and culture came to an end, black youth were offered visions of escape from ghetto life by rags-to-riches stories of famous actors, sports heroes, and entertainers. Mass communications amplified this trend and exploited the gladiatorial, masculine culture of professional sports and popular entertainment to reach an economically influential segment of African-American youth. ABJ interviewees from this sector discussed their controversial position as role models for urban black males.
Featured Show Segments
Comprehension Questions
Questions:
What aspects of the performance by the Brothers of Soul seem most unusual -- or even out-of-date -- to you?
Questions:
What does Martha Jean define as her purpose in life?
Questions:
What are the key ideas that guide Arthur Mitchell’s approach to dance?
Questions:
Why does Arthur Mitchell believe dance is the first art form?
Questions:
Why did Arthur Mitchell decide to create the Dance Theater of Harlem?
Questions:
Why does Ossie Davis say that he and Ruby Dee began to focus on presenting the works of African American writers to African American audiences?
What was one of the important results of pursuing that emphasis?
Questions:
Why does Ossie Davis say that anyone can act?
Questions:
What is the main idea conveyed by the “commercial” in the segment?
Why do you think the program’s writers chose to present this idea in the form of a mock commercial?
Questions:
What is the point of the “Free Your Mind” hair-straightening segment?
How would you compare this “Free Your Mind” segment to the “Free Your Mind” “commercial” for skin lightening cream -- the one with the woman in front of her mirror?
Questions:
What is the main idea of the segment?
What does this skit suggest about the place of African Americans in the business world?
Questions:
What is the distinction James Brown makes between formal education and practical education?
Why does James Brown think it is important for artists and performers to have control over what they do?
Questions:
What does James Brown say about awareness and respect for African American culture?
Questions:
Why does James Brown say he keeps working so hard?
What does James Brown say African Americans should do to combat the disadvantages they face as a people in America?
Thematic questions
What do the “Free Your Mind” segments suggest about at least one focus of entertainment in the African American community?
What similarities do you see in the ideas of Ossie Davis and Arthur Mitchell about artistic expression, and what, if anything, do you think these say about African American culture?
What does the segment on the 1968 Olympics in the Colored People’s Time 13 program suggest about the significance of athletics for African Americans?
Websites
Blackflix.com
http://www.blackflix.com/
A site devoted to the work of black film professionals and African-American cinema. In addition it covers the work of individuals in the entertainment industry, provides film reviews, and information for artists, and discussion of various genres.
Harlem, 1900-1940: An African-American Community
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/index.html
An online exhibition portfolio of The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This exhibit explores Harlem as the “Cultural Capital” for African Americans. It provides a comprehensive look at the community – from activism and business to diversity in the arts including playwrights, actors, musicians and sports heroes. Includes resources for educators.
Dance Theater of Harlem
http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.com/
The official site of the Dance Theater of Harlem. Includes a history of the organization, information regarding its school, as well as open auditions and dates of upcoming productions. Of interest is their outreach program, “Dancing Through Barriers.”
Detroit Youth Foundation
http://www.detroityouth.org/
The DYF programs target at-risk youth, providing positive alternatives in a supportive, productive environment. The Foundation’s programs target six core areas: leadership development, cultural and fine arts, education and academic enrichment, technology, health and fitness, and music.
African American World – Arts and Culture
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/arts/index.html
One of the four channels to NPR/PBS’s African-American World, this section explores past and present artistic and cultural expressions and artists in the African-American community. Includes educational resources, timelines, references of interest, and a section for children.
Related Films
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes
DVD. 60 minutes.
Directed by Byron Hurt. Northhampton, Mass.: Media Education Foundation, 2006.
A documentary examining homophobia, masculinity, violence and sexism in hip hop culture. Contains interviews with rap notables including Fat Joe and Chuck D on the topic of masculinity and sexism.
I Am A Man: Black Masculinity in American Culture
VHS/DVD. 60 minutes.
Directed by Bryon Hurt. Northhampton, Mass.: Media Education Foundation, 2006.
Documentary exploring the understanding of Black masculinity and identity across various socioeconomic lines. Framed with interviews from academics, authors, and social critics.
Black Olympians, 1904-1984: Athletics and Social Change in America
Directed by Jeff Goldschen. Los Angeles: Churchill Films, 1986.
This film documents the struggle for inclusion and achievements of African-Americans in the Olympic Games. It features athletes such as Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph and covers events such as the Black Power salute at the 1968 games.
Hoop Dreams
DVD. 170 minutes.
Directed by Steve James. Minneapolis, Minn.: KCTA Minneapolis, 1994.
A documentary following two young high school basketball players from Chicago and their efforts to obtain college scholarships with hopes of playing in the NBA.
Books
Bogle, Donald. Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001.
A history of African Americans on network television from the 1940s through the 1990s. The author critically examines the portrayal of African Americans on the small screen as well as African American contributions to it.
DeFrantz, Thomas. Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey’s embodiment of African American Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
An examination of dancer Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater from its inception in the early 1960s through the late twentieth century. The author places Ailey’s work in historical context to demonstrate his influence on African-American culture.
Powell, Kevin. Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?: Manhood, Race, and Power in America. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003.
Three essays by journalist Kevin Powell on the subjects of masculinity, violence, and hip hope and celebrity cultures.
Snyder, Brad. Beyond the Shadow of Senators: The Untold Story of the Homestead Grays and the Integration of Baseball. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 20003.
A forty year history of the Negro League’s “most successful” franchise, the Homestead Grays, and their efforts to integrate baseball.
Watkins, S. Craig. Representing: Hip Hop Culture and the Production of Black Cinema. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
The author claims the rise of Spike Lee and the growth of “ghettocentric films” to be the two greatest developments in recent black cinema history. Tackles the contradiction of black youths as targets of “a fierce racial backlash” of a variety of social concerns against their commercial marketability.
Additional show segments and comprehension questions
Questions:
What differences does Lena Horne see between the struggles performers of her generation faced getting started and the struggles faced by a younger generation?
Questions:
To what does Lena Horne attribute the strength of black women?
Questions:
What does Nikki Giovanni say about the two-fold nature of growth?
What are the key characteristics Nikki Giovanni thinks she shares with black women?
