Lyrics & Liberation
An organization I'm in is hosting a formal event entitled "Lyrics & Liberation: A Soundtrack to Black Citizenship," which will be an evening dedicated to how music has played a role in expressing the political and social struggle of black people throughout the generations. The evening is organized into different musical eras starting with Jazz moving up to Hip Hop. I'm responsible for doing a monologue on the Motown Era.
Not to toot my own horn but I slaved over the event name and I'm glad it stuck!! In doing some research on the period in which Motown grew I found out so much that was going on. The thrust of the monologue is to describe the Motown Era in conjunction with the achievements of blacks. Here are some things I found. In 1963 two months before the March On Washington, The Fabulous Miracles hit Top 10 on the charts with "You Really Got A Hold On Me." In 1964 one month prior to President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, "Dancing in the Streets" by Martha & The Vandells is released and becomes "the national anthem of urban America." In 1965 as Muhummad Ali was crowned the heavy weight champion of the world, Stevie Wonder's song "Uptight"took over the air waves. This was the same year that Benjamin O. Davis became a 3 star Lt. General while serving as the cheif of stafff for American forces in South Korea.
In 1970, songs such as Edwin Starr's "War" and "Ball of Confusion" by The Temptation becomes the very backdrop of anti-war setiments that protested the War in Vietnam.
This is just a taste. I've found so much and it is interesting how the music portrayed the time and gave voice to what so many needed for relief. I'm now excited again!! I have to get my application together for Burson-Marsteller. My lucky me, I haven't started. Then to make it even crazier I have a paper due in my PR theory class. It is interesting how I've finally caught onto the fact that my whole graduate education is based on what I think. Let me say that again. It is based on what I, Gordon M. Curry, think.
My challenge has been that for so long in undergrad as with everything else, I've gone along with what others taught and created. I made it better and I made it work for me. But now is the time where what I think matters. Too bad I'm catching on to that in my final semester of grad school. I wish I was more forward thinking a year and a half ago.
Also what it comes down to is that my ambitions extend far beyond communication and into society. Into people's lives.
For once I'm on the application reviewer's end with my job for McNair. I'm reading over applications of the sophomores and juniors that apply to our program. It is so clear when students are unaware of themselves. I can tell when someone applys to our program because they think it is something else, or they hear the word scholar and want to make it out to mean scholarship, which implies money. Applicants that write what they think we want to hear and say absolutely nothing about what they want, why they fit, or what they can contribute.
I said all of this to say that for once in my life, I'm aware that I AM aware of who I am. The work force gets brutal especially in the marcom division. Specifically in the marcom division which is based on performance and how much people like you. They tend to like you a lot more when you perform well. Life is a performance but at the end of the day have I made myself happy with my role where I am. That is a question I'll leave up for grabs.
Not to toot my own horn but I slaved over the event name and I'm glad it stuck!! In doing some research on the period in which Motown grew I found out so much that was going on. The thrust of the monologue is to describe the Motown Era in conjunction with the achievements of blacks. Here are some things I found. In 1963 two months before the March On Washington, The Fabulous Miracles hit Top 10 on the charts with "You Really Got A Hold On Me." In 1964 one month prior to President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, "Dancing in the Streets" by Martha & The Vandells is released and becomes "the national anthem of urban America." In 1965 as Muhummad Ali was crowned the heavy weight champion of the world, Stevie Wonder's song "Uptight"took over the air waves. This was the same year that Benjamin O. Davis became a 3 star Lt. General while serving as the cheif of stafff for American forces in South Korea.
In 1970, songs such as Edwin Starr's "War" and "Ball of Confusion" by The Temptation becomes the very backdrop of anti-war setiments that protested the War in Vietnam.
This is just a taste. I've found so much and it is interesting how the music portrayed the time and gave voice to what so many needed for relief. I'm now excited again!! I have to get my application together for Burson-Marsteller. My lucky me, I haven't started. Then to make it even crazier I have a paper due in my PR theory class. It is interesting how I've finally caught onto the fact that my whole graduate education is based on what I think. Let me say that again. It is based on what I, Gordon M. Curry, think.
My challenge has been that for so long in undergrad as with everything else, I've gone along with what others taught and created. I made it better and I made it work for me. But now is the time where what I think matters. Too bad I'm catching on to that in my final semester of grad school. I wish I was more forward thinking a year and a half ago.
Also what it comes down to is that my ambitions extend far beyond communication and into society. Into people's lives.
For once I'm on the application reviewer's end with my job for McNair. I'm reading over applications of the sophomores and juniors that apply to our program. It is so clear when students are unaware of themselves. I can tell when someone applys to our program because they think it is something else, or they hear the word scholar and want to make it out to mean scholarship, which implies money. Applicants that write what they think we want to hear and say absolutely nothing about what they want, why they fit, or what they can contribute.
I said all of this to say that for once in my life, I'm aware that I AM aware of who I am. The work force gets brutal especially in the marcom division. Specifically in the marcom division which is based on performance and how much people like you. They tend to like you a lot more when you perform well. Life is a performance but at the end of the day have I made myself happy with my role where I am. That is a question I'll leave up for grabs.
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