She studied drama and dance at night and was a scholar at the California Labor School. ... She later met the renowned African American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey with whom she formed the unsuccessful dance team ˜Al and Rita'. After her divorce in 1954 Angelou worked as a stage performer in clubs where she sang and danced calypso music and garnered a reputation for pushing the boundaries for what was accepted as the norm. ... While in Ghana, Angelou also secured jobs as a writer for "The Ghanaian Times", a feature editor for "The African Review", and as a freelance writer...

• Word Count: 884
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

CHANGES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE 1920"S In the 1920's, African Americans were going through many changes and were doing many new things that they hadn't even thought about doing before that. ... Not only did African Americans start jazz, but some of the best jazz musicians were African American. ... This is when African American literature, art, music, dance, and social commentary began to flourish in Harlem, which is an area of New York City. ... It was a celebration of the unique culture of African Americans, and gave the world a new view of African American expressio...

• Word Count: 840
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The Black slaves of colonial America brought their own culture from Africa to the new land. Despite their persecution, the "slave culture" has contributed greatly to the development of America's own music, dance, art, and clothing. ... Another type of music distinct to African slaves was gospel. ... A main difference between African and Christian religions, however, is that Africans did not find it necessary to convert all other cultures to their religion. ... It may be that Africans had scientific methods native to Africa that they brought to the New World, but these were o...

• Word Count: 1049
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

The Watershed is a contemporary piece including nine dancers that is choreographed by Kyle Abraham. ... There were 4 female dancers and 5 male dancers in the piece, one of them being the choreographer; Kyle Abraham. ... I believe history repeats itself considering how African Americans are still currently fighting for the same rights that they were fighting for back in the 1950's. ... Unarmed teen Michael Brown was shot an murdered by a white police officer back in august and there is outrage throughout the entire African American community. ... Watermelon, African americans stereotypical...

• Word Count: 744
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Fads of the Roaring Twenties included Flagpole sitting, the dance marathon, and a Chinese game, Mah-jongg. ... Dance floors shook all over the country with various dances that accompanied the music. ... The Roaring Twenties marked a new generation of American Literature and the recognition of African American writers. ... The Harlem Renaissance, the rebirth of African American culture, was a huge part of the Roaring Twenties. ... Black writers wrote about the experiences of African Americans, the lynchings and other violence that they had to survive after WWI. ...

• Word Count: 909
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Rhythm and blues was popular among the African-American population of America, but until the early 1950's, white people had little interest in rhythm and blues. ... In 1951, Allen Freed, a disc jockey in Cleveland, Ohio teamed up with Leo Mintz, one of Cleveland's largest record store owners, to introduce traditionally African American music to the white population. ... These very dances are where rock and roll truly came alive in the young adults" lives. While teens were on their own social territory, the high energy, hormonal rock music blasted through the speakers as they danced...

• Word Count: 775
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography

Mae is famous because she was the first African American to travel into space. ... Like many girls Mae also loved to dance. Almost every day she would have 1 hour dance lessons. ... Mae got reedy as fast as possible and when the day came Mae boarded the spacecraft called the Endeavor and latter that day may earned a place in history for being the first African American to ever endure in space. ...

• Word Count: 319
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Battle Royal, is mainly a description of the African American struggle for equality and identity. The narrator of the story is an above average youth of the African American community. ... Then the young black men are "forced" to watch this attractive white woman dance in the middle of the ring, this in a time when being sexually attracted to a white woman is a taboo in the racist world. ...

• Word Count: 769
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Initial literature on enslaved black women analyzes stereotypes constructed of African women brought to the new world. ... Additionally, their "monstrous" bodies suggested savagery, substantiating European conceptions of African inferiority to further legitimize African subjugation. The first comprehensive book to be written about enslaved African American women is titled Ar'n't I a Woman by Deborah White. ... " In addition, Bondswomen partook in highly improvised dance and musical performances. ... Whether through competitive dance or fashion showcasing, these hete...

• Word Count: 1150
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate

African American's Great Migration to a better Economy and Freedom After the Reconstruction era the African American's population changed in the south during the 19th and early 20th centuries. ... The Jim Crow laws were a big reason why the African Americans moved. ... Many African Americans found this as an advantage to change their economy. ... Soon the Whites would lessen the African American control on these towns. ... The African Americans brought with them to these states many of their African cultures though art, dance, music and life African heritage, which are seen t...

• Word Count: 558
• Approx Pages: 2

These events help to show the slow acceptance and influence of African American culture on white America. ... Many large groups of jazz musicians began to play together, after the model of society dance bands. ... Started by African-American intellectuals like Alain Locke, W.E.B. ... Countee Cullen used both African and European images to explore the African roots of black American life. ... Writers McKay, Hughes, and Cullen, actor and musician Paul Robeson, dancer Josephine Baker, and others traveled to Europe and attained a popularity abroad that rivaled or surpassed what they achieved in...

• Word Count: 1092
• Approx Pages: 4

Hip-hop culture was developed in New York City in the 1970's mainly by African Americans, first emerging from The Bronx; the lifestyle of Hip-hop culture has now spread to urban and suburban communities worldwide. ... The four historic elements of Hip-Hop are emceeing, DJ'ing, graffiti, and break dancing. ... Being used as a powerful voice in America, there were messages being delivered through songs that dwelled on uplifting the African American race and addressing problems that were against blacks as well. ...

• Word Count: 665
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Since she loved art, she got a scholarship to study dance and drama in San Francisco's Labor School. When she was 14, she dropped out of the school of dance and drama to become the first African-American female car conductor. ... No matter what she did in life, she always loved music, dance, performing, and poetry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou). ... She also worked at the college as an editor for "The African Review.... She also learned many different languages, including, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and the West African language Fanti. ...

• Word Count: 1000
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In the early 1900s, particularly in the 1920s, African-American literature, art, music, dance, and social commentary began to flourish in Harlem, a section of New York City. ... More than a literary movement, the Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined African-American expression. ... African-Americans was encouraged to celebrate their heritage. ... Thematic content included Africa as a source of inspiration, African-American history, folk idioms, including music and religion of the South, and social injustice. ... Never before had so many Americans rea...

• Word Count: 783
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the early 1900s, particularly in the 1920s, African-American literature, art, music, dance, and social commentary began to flourish in Harlem, a section of New York City. ... More than a literary movement, the Harlem Renaissance elevated the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined African-American expression. African-Americans were encouraged to celebrate their heritage. ... It was an African-American company, but it only performed plays written by whites because plays written by African-Americans were not yet allowed. It was a unique experience for African-Americans to see Africa...

• Word Count: 824
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

From reading various reviews I have noticed that Spike Lee, "is not a filmmaker renowned for his subtlety, but when he's good - with movies like "Malcolm X" and "Do The Right Thing" - he manages to entertain while also making salient political statements and comments about life in the US for African Americans." ... The spot shows African American people dancing around, women half naked, giving the impression that this is what black people want. Same with "clothing manufacturer" Timmi Hillnigger, a band of black people dancing around sporting what Timmi Hillnigger thinks they want. ... The...

• Word Count: 853
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Being an African American in the 1900's was not an easy thing to do. ... That didn't stop her; she learned the chorus line's routines while working as a dresser and was the backup performer when a dancer wasn't available. ... They were most thrilled from her silliness on stage and how comical her dancing was. ... Her story and perseverance of never giving up regardless of being sold short because of being African American will always be remembered....

• Word Count: 702
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

My father being a journalist, he had been given been given a task to investigate about the lost tribe of African living in India. ... My father and his journalist team were supposed to make a story about the lost tribe of African community which were living deep in the jungle of the Gujarat western side of the India country. ... On reaching at Gujarat we moved deep into the juggles where I was amazed to see black African living in India. ... I was amazed by the dancing styles of the community hand the unity they had. ...

• Word Count: 630
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

On the same token, "Hughes captures the African American's journey to America in what is perhaps his signature poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" (Joyce). ... As he wrote, he thought about the blacks who had been kidnapped from Africa and brought over to America to serve as slaves. ... If any African Americans dared challenge these laws, they were physically threatened, beaten, executed with a gun, or lynched. ... The black mother and her progeny, who abandoned their spirituality but refined it into music, poetry and dance, are now seen for their true value, revealed in the light as ...

• Word Count: 970
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

During the time of its premiere, The Octoroon, inspired conversations about the abolition of slavery as well as the overall mistreatment of the African Americans. ... Boucicault's play focuses on the denial of liberty, identity, and dignity, while ironically preserving common African-American stereotypes of the antebellum period. ... While the author attempts to evoke anti-slavery sentiments, the play is largely in ineffectual of being a true indictment of slavery by further perpetuating the African American stereotypes. ... With the tragic mulatto, the author romantically stresses the p...

• Word Count: 1218
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

THE BOONDOCKS - "A Right to Be Hostile " The comic strip, The Boondocks by Aaron McGruder, introduces African Americans, referred to as "Blacks- in the comic strip, into the media in a different light from what is typically portrayed on television and newspapers. ... The Black characters' communication style was open and direct, which may come across as hostile and angry, contrasting from the White's character's way of dancing around an issue. ... I agree with McGruder that society still has a long way to go in dealing with multicultural issues, especially towards African ...

• Word Count: 805
• Approx Pages: 3

In Ralph Ellison's short story, "Battle Royal", there is an African American man living during 1947. ... Possibly one of the mot symbolic things in this short story is the woman dancing before the battle actually starts. ... He is an African American; someone looked at as unimportant and inferior to the white race. There is nothing significant about him when looked at by a racist, and he is looked through just like all other African Americans during the 20th century. ... His history as an African American and the racism we know in our country are both examples of this story, an...

• Word Count: 874
• Approx Pages: 3

His father was not happy with the way African Americans were being treated so he moved to Mexico. ... He was elected in his class because there was only one other African American and she was was a girl. The class like most of America thought that most African Americans can sing and dance so they thought that Langston would have rhythm. ... Woodson, who worked with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. ... Langston was always trying to help African Americans learn to love White Americans. ...

• Word Count: 1086
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

""(93) and this new man was going to show the world that African Americans had meaning and were not just slaves and good singers. ... He watched the rise and fall of African Americans in the 1920's. ... He says that Shuffle Along , " gave just the proper push to that Negro vogue of the 20's, that spread to books, African sculpture, music and dancing."" (100) This was all when the Negro was in vogue. ... Yes, African Americans did rise but they were still too weak minded to stay on top. ... After African Americans made it too the top they still allowed the whites to bring them ...

• Word Count: 1250
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

This is done by showing African American entertainers ability whether it be through, music videos, movies, or documentaries, BET helped many Black Entertainers. ... The company taps into the growing African-American consumer marketplace using a variety of its media properties. ... Black Entertainment Television is a 24-hour programming service targeting African-American consumers. ... In a segment on BET.COM called, GET IT FAST, GET IT FIRST, it talks about Ginuwine's new release in April here's what was said,"With three Double Platinum albums to his credit, Ginuwine has smoothly sol...

• Word Count: 1086
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School