Black Music Month June 09

"If a song's about something I've experienced or that could've happened to me it's good. But if it's alien to me, I couldn't lend anything to it. Because that's what soul is all about." - Aretha Franklin

"I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world." - Tupac

As I watched tonight's BET Music Awards, I marveled at the amazing depth and diversity of talent and artistry in the field of Black music. From post-modern Hip-Hop artists like Soulja Boy Tell 'Em to legends of soul like the O'Jays, Black music is a dynamic force with the power to impact the lives of millions of people, not to mention the power to be a multi-billion dollar industry that puts a whole lot of money into the hands and pockets of wealthy music moguls.

June 2009 marks the "unofficial" 30th Anniversary of Black Music Month. Some folks are aware that June is Black Music Month, though not many people are aware that in 1979 President Jimmy Carter was all set to sign a proclamation declaring June BMM - and didn't. Though Carter "decreed" June BMM and there was much hoopla made over the occassion, including a party on the White House lawn, BMM did not become official until 1998 with the passing of Fattah's House Concurrent Resolution 27. Such a cold and soulless name for a bill supposedly recognizing what is undeniably one of America's richest cultural achievements: the heritage and legacy of Black music.

Check out Pamela Reed's brilliant piece on the backdrop story to "Resolution 27" and President Obama's seeming refusal to acknowledge or recognize Black Music Month or the accomplishments of Black artists in the field of American music. http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2009/06/black-music-month-turns-30-002016.php.

His willingness to let June slip by with just the barest nod to BMM is, in my view, yet more evidence of Obama's desperate attempts to play act as if he's "colorblind." While I understand and whole-heartedly support his efforts to unify this incredibly divisive nation, I am baffled by his moves to distance himself from acknowledging the individual accomplishments of all the peoples who fall under America's umbrella, particularly people of color. Definitely puts a damper on what should be a joyful and proud celebration.