It's a bird! No, it's a plane! No, it's actually Kanye West, complete with a set of angel wings, flying over the crowd at the 47th Grammy Awards after his dramatic resurrection — a fitting way to ring in Black History Month.
In 1926, Charles G. Woodson, son of enslaved parents, decided that no one should forget his people's fight for freedom. He created what is now a month-long celebration of Black culture — four weeks that keep local hip-hop groups like Allciti extremely busy.
"Black History Month is like Remembrance Day for us," says Allciti M.C. B. Nelson. "It's our way of paying respect to people who have done stuff for us in the past. Why not talk about the injustices in our past?"
"Society today, especially American culture, doesn't want to embrace Black culture. They especially like to conceal information. Did you know Black people built the White House?" asks B. Nelson. Black labourers worked long, strenuous hours, and proved to be a vital force in the construction of the White House and the U.S. Capitol buildings.
"It's hard to keep people interested for a long period of time," states B. Nelson. "Even some of my own people don't know what this month is all about."
Fortunately, individuals such as Gary Martin, a.k.a. Mr. Motown, think it's important to identify with the youth. In his fourth year of giving the University of Calgary a glimpse of where Black music was forged, he declares this his favourite time of year. "Things like this Speaker's Corner gig are what I like to do to encourage the youth to come and enjoy live music. I started out as a youth, and only played what my elders played, which happened to be blues and jazz," says Martin. "It's very important to identify with the youth's needs today, yet at the same time let them know where it all came from. People like me pass the torch, so to speak, to the younger artists of today, hoping they can take music to a different level while still remembering their roots."
In lieu of that thought, Allciti and Gary Martin held a three-part musical showcase named The Roots, tracing the timeline of hip-hop music from the early days to current sounds. "We would just like to create an atmosphere where you can come to the show, be yourself, express yourself however you like," states B. Nelson.
