Lets Talk Reparations Black Rockstars

Billie Vicente Correspondent

Generational wealth has eluded the Black community for decades. Centuries of enslavement, prejudice and consequent trauma have largely kept Black families from experiencing the same comforts that the average American family enjoys. According to the Federal Reserve Board of Consumer Finances, the median wealth of Black households in the United States is $24,100, compared to the staggering $188,200 for white households. The reparations effort will not fully close the racial wealth gap, but many hope it will at least help the younger generation.

In hopes of closing the racial disparity, Governor Gavin Newsom of California implemented a Reparations Task Force of nine members in 2020. Five of these members were handpicked by the Governor, two by the President pro-tempore of the Senate and two by the Speaker of the Assembly. This Task Force is to produce a report for lawmakers on their recommendations for state-level reparations. These recommendations must be agreed upon by Sacramento lawmakers to be written into state legislation.

California is historically known for gaining its wealth through the Gold Rush in the late 1840s. White settlers brought enslaved African Americans to work in the gold mines as well as performing housework, farmwork and other hard labor, mostly for free. Decades later, Black Californians were again taken advantage of by the unfair redlining of the largest Californian cities, leaving them with little to no political power during the 1950s and ‘60s. California (and all other states) owes its Black residents for its present wealth and power.

The job of the Reparations Task Force is to propose recommendations to effectively compensate Black residents in a way that will satisfy Californian lawmakers. About 2.5 million Californians identify as Black or African American, and those who are descendants of enslaved African Americans or of a “free Black person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th century” will be eligible for reparations. There's a possibility that the eligibility requirement is worded in a way that would allow white descendants with ancestors who fit this description to be eligible for reparations meant for Black residents. Conversations are being held about how to best distribute compensation for those that are eligible. Many have proposed to distribute compensation through cash payments, tuition and housing grants. It is possible to distribute compensation between five areas: property seizures, Black business and healthcare, housing accommodations and unfair mass incarcerations. The price tag of this proposal could reach hundreds of billions of dollars, which is a major cause of opposition among many Californian taxpayers.

The talks of reparations are not likely to eliminate the racial wealth gap completely, though it is a small step in reaching racial equity in the United States if other state and federal legislations become motivated to propose large-scale reparations. By no means would this be the first time reparations have been considered legislatively in the United States. In recent years, $10 million in reparations have been distributed in the form of housing grants in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb in Chicago. In local news, Asheville, North Carolina, has also proposed $2.1 million in reparations.

The destruction of Black communities in California has been a big issue since the first settlement of slave owners in the West especially during the 1950s to 1970s redlining era. A great example is the 1960s destruction of Russell City, California, a thriving music scene where famous musicians such as Etta James and Ray Charles would come to play for the Black community. Residents were forcefully moved out of their homes to make space for an industrial park. The displacement of Black families due to gentrification is prevalent in most major American cities; and within cities, poverty plagues Black communities in the forms of food deserts and mass incarcerations, among other things.

Many Black leaders and activists have voiced their opinions on the implementation of reparations in the United States. The displacement and stolen opportunities of acquiring wealth has empowered many Black Americans to seek reparations for what they were generationally robbed of. This proposal will hopefully fan the demands of addressing racial inequity across the nation.

Rebecca HernÁndez Correspondent

One genre in American music, rock ‘n’ roll, is considered one of, if not, the most influential 20th century genre in the United States. When talking about these influential artists we hear names such as The Rolling Stones, Guns N Roses, David Bowie, Queen, Led Zeppelin – but rarely do we ever hear of the ones who built and catapulted the genre into what it is today.

Rock music, originally called “rock ‘n’ roll,” originates from rhythm and blues, as well as using riffs from the electric guitar prevalent in country music, the heavy and powerful vocals. Originating in the Southern United States, rock became a fusion of multiple genres. Black artists, such as Sister Rosetta Thorpe and Big Mama Thorten, blended the two genres together along with gospel to create the foundation for what we know as rock today. Chuck Berry, nicknamed the forefather of rock, may not have been behind as much of the creation of the genre as Thorpe, but he developed the “attitude” part of being a rockstar. Both Thorpe and Berry had heavy usage of electric guitar and elements of storytelling in their songs, two things that are distinct and paramount to rock music.

Although legends in creating the genre, neither of the two are remembered as well as their white counterparts. White audiences paid no attention until the likes of Elvis Presley, the so-called “King of rock and roll,” emerged. Many of Presely’s songs are “inspired” by Thorpe and other artists. And that famous Elvis personality, well, that was also very “inspired” by Berry. Though Elvis was the first artist in the genre to take such heavy “inspirations” from Black artists, he would not be the last.

In the 1960s, rock began to take on the sound that we know and love today. All of this is thanks to the legendary Jimi Hendrix, an experimental guitarist who focused mostly on psychedelic rock. Hendrix’s rendition of the star spangled banner at Woodstock is probably his most notable performance ever. Hendrix was known for his unique sound and spontaneity, as he never played any of his songs the same, because he never learned how to read music.

Hendrix started this trend, within the rock scene, of creating a distinctive new sound with each performance. Hands-down Hendrix is one of, if not the most talented guitarist of all time. He took inspiration from Berry and Thorpe, creating those early rock sounds and completely changed them forever.

We heard the build up of rock in the 1950s, the classic and experimental sound of the 1960s and 1970s, the 1980s was the introduction of some of the most famous rockstars of all time — Tina and Ike Turner, Lenny Kravitz, Prince and Rick James among others. What sets each and everyone of this new generation of rockers apart from previous generations is the distinct sound that each of them have, whilst also staying true to their rock roots.

The 1990s saw a renaissance-like era for rock as a whole. Though it had never gone away, there was a large return to the classic rock of the 1970s, as well as the hard rock movement. This movement like all other subgenres of rock was started by Black artists – Living Colour, Fishbone and 24-7 Spyz to name a few. Hard rock, unlike other subgenres, focused mostly on vocals as the majority of these bands had frontmen with very powerful voices. This stemmed from Big Mama Thorten, who originally gave rock its voice back in the 1950s.

Many argue that rock died in the 21st century. Others say that it's still alive and well, pointing to bands such as Green Day, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Greta Van Fleet. All white groups/artists. Greta Van Fleet has been receiving praise especially for bringing back the classic rock sound, but not nearly as many have given this same praise to Brittany Howard and her work towards bringing back blues, the original original rock sound.

As we see a resurgence of more classic and original rock sounds, we are also once again witnessing the emergence of new sound. Artists and bands, like NoMBe and BLACKSTARKIDS, have been playing around with alternative and indie sounds within rock music.

Rock is one of the most American genres of music to exist. Something that’s exemplified with the majority of these huge rockstars being American and all, but it still has a largely white audience despite its Black roots. Without these artists, we never would have the insane range that is rock music.