In 1964, Dizzy Gillespie threw his beret into the ring and ran for President of the United States.
In a piece for Al Jazeera America, Tom Maxwell wrote:
It started as a joke, as so many serious things do. His booking agency had some “Dizzy Gillespie for president” buttons made around 1960, because, you see, it’s funny. Somebody even asked Gillespie why a black jazzman — a permanent member of the underclass if there ever was one — would even think of trying for the job. “Because we need one,” he said.
“Anybody coulda made a better President than the ones we had in those times, dillydallying about protecting blacks in the exercise of their civil and human rights and carrying on secret wars against people around the world,” Gillespie wrote in his autobiography “To Be, or Not … to Bop.” “I was the only choice for a thinking man.”
This thinking woman would have voted for him. Vote Dizzy! Vote Dizzy!
In 1987, Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution 57 designating jazz “a rare and valuable national American treasure.” The resolution recognized jazz as a “unifying force, bridging cultural, religious, ethnic and age differences.” Indeed, jazz played an important role in paving the way for the Civil Rights Movement.
The Downbeat, located at 11th and Ludlow streets in Philadelphia, was the first racially integrated club in Center City. The building is still there.
Café Society Swing, written by Alex Webb, tells the story of the legendary Café Society, the first integrated nightclub in New York City. The jazz spot played host to, among others, Fats Navarro, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, Lena Horne, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Big Joe Turner. Philly Joe Jones was the house drummer. Café Society is where Billie Holiday first sang “Strange Fruit” in January 1939.
By the way, Philly’s Café Society was located on “The Golden Strip,” Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore).
All That Philly Jazz, a digital history project, will breathe life into Philadelphia’s jazz heritage. The website will be launched in February. For updates, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.com/AllThatPhillyJazz.
In remarks to the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the importance of jazz in paving the way for the Civil Rights Movement.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on this day in 1929. His legacy lives on in folks like the activists who will take to the streets on Monday and #ReclaimMLK Day.
On Monday, January 19th, the nation will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King. In Philadelphia, a broad-based coalition will remember the drum major for justice by reclaiming his legacy and marching for justice, jobs and education.
The #ReclaimMLK coalition is moving beyond the sanitized version of Dr. King (Full Disclosure: I’m a member of the planning committee). We are taking back the King Holiday and organizing MLK D.A.R.E. (MLK Day of Action, Resistance and Empowerment). At least 10,000 demonstrators are expected to take to the streets on the day of action and agitation.
The #ReclaimMLK coalition’s demands include an end to stop-and-frisk, an independent police review board, a $15-an-hour minimum wage, a fair funding formula for public schools and a democratically-elected school board.
The planning meetings are held at the historic Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. Mother Bethel’s Pastor Rev. Mark Tyler said:
It’s only fitting that we open our doors in light of the role of the Black Church during the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, our founder Bishop Richard Allen opened these doors in 1817 for the first large scale, national demonstration of free African Americans.
On Saturday, more than 40,000 gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Justice for All march against police violence.
Earlier in the week, a group of black mothers who lost children to police violence met to “tell their stories and advocate for changing existing laws that leave families vulnerable to police brutality and accountability loopholes.” They, too, called for Congressional hearings on police brutality and federal legislation authorizing special prosecutors to investigate police shootings.
Nearly 60 years ago, another black mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, grieved for the racially-motivated murder of her son.
Emmitt Till was murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The acquittal of the two white men charged with his murder shocked the conscience of the nation. The verdict paved the way for the Department of Justice to intervene in local law enforcement cases when civil rights are violated, as well as the Civil Rights Movement.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, I visited the tree that was planted in memory of Emmett Till on the U.S. Capitol Grounds. It wasn’t easy to find. No one knew the tree had been planted, let alone where it was located. So my friend and I walked the 274 acres in search of the tree. I finally stumbled upon it. You can imagine my dismay to discover it’s located in the middle of a parking lot.
Actually, when I first read the marker, I didn’t realize it was the Emmett Till tree. I thought it was for a new tree species or in honor of Sen. Susan Collins.
I had to get on my knees to read the small print:
To honor Emmett Till, a young African-American man whose brutal killing in 1955 raised public awareness that led to civil rights reforms.
Frankly, this so-called honor is more about Collins than Emmett Till. If you share my concern the marker does not do justice to his legacy, then say something via Twitter (@SenatorCollins), email or by phone at (202) 224-2523.
Perhaps by the 60th anniversary of his murder, there will be a marker befitting Emmitt Till’s place in American history.
