Summer of Soul is the most important film of the year (& here's 3 reasons why)
3 things we learned from the music documentary
Oftentimes, so much of our history as black folks is swept aside, tucked in a corner and deemed not significant by the powers that be. So when we heard that there was a black music festival in the same summer as Woodstock that had its footage shelved until now, unfortunately we weren't surprised. Thankfully, Questlove took it upon himself to unearth the footage, and the result is one of the most important documentaries we've laid eyes on. "Summer of Soul" isn't just a music documentary. It's a time capsule of one of the most turbulent, divisive and yet beautiful years in American history. We've seen 1969 through a white lens countless times. We've heard dozens of stories about Woodstock. Seeing this film brought a brand new perspective and reinforced the fact that black folks had something to say too.Summer of Soul shifts seamlessly between musical numbers, historical footage and testimonials by people who were on hand during the festivities. Together, it paints a picture of black unity and the shift of the black consciousness as a collective. The film has too many great moments to count, and words don't do it justice. So we're gonna quickly go three things we learned, then you should def go for that free trial, steal your aunties password, do whatever you have to do to watch Summer of Soul.https://youtu.be/1-siC9cugqA
The Moon Landing's impact in Black America (Or lack thereof)
Gil Scott Heron has a legendary tune called "Whitey on the Moon", in which he details the stark contrast between the poverty of Black America and the landing of a white man on the moon. In Summer of Soul, we see the contrast play out, as the Moon landing actually took place on the one of the days of the festival. Interview footage from the crowd confirmed the sentiments from Gil Scott Heron's lyrics. Black folks, for the most part couldn't care less about what was happening in space, as it didn't apply much to their lives. As tax dollars were poured into space exploration, parts of Harlem were rotting away at the same time.
Martin Luther King's Last words
Jesse Jackson was a part of a powerful gospel performance on stage at the Harlem Cultural Festival, and amongst the music, he told the tale of MLK's last words, which were to musician Ben Branch, who was set to perform that night. He told him "Ben, make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty." Seconds later he was shot. Jesse Jackson told that story to a Harlem still grieving and fresh off of the Harlem riots on 1968 after King's assassination. The Gospel ensemble, which featured the icon Mahalia Jackson then went on to play that very song in tribute to Dr King in a moment that was nothing short of special.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault is a legend
Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an American civil rights activist, journalist and former writer for the New York Times. In the early 60s, she was the first black student to attend the University of Georgia. In Summer of Soul, she tells a story about her times at the school and how the white students who lived above her took turns stomping on the floor. Charlayne would have a Nina Simone record playing during these times, and that helped bring her comfort. Hearing that story, intercut with historical footage and performance footage of Nina Simone at the Harlem Cultural Festival was a beautiful thing. Another dope story was that the music festival helped inform Charlayne more about the direction black folks were headed. 1969 was described as the year when calling black people "Colored" died and "Black" was instead embraced. After a back and forth with her editors at the New York Times, Charlayne made it be known that her people were to be referred to as such.
We're not saying that this info wasn't out there before or that this music documentary was the first to share these facts with the world. We're simply stating that our history, beyond the generic black history facts is not often made readily available. We're thankful for Questlove, and his film Summer of Soul for taking a step in the right direction.For more dope content, read on here