Black Theater: Survival Through the Black Community © Pt. 3
So what does this all have to do with how Black Theater can achieve sustainability through the Black Community. Our past is our future. The examples of others and their success are the models by which we should follow. So far in these essays, we have looked back the entrepreneurial spirit of Blacks in America. We have seen how Black communities flourished Post-Civil War and how the tenants of W.E.B. Dubois helped shape the mindset and mores of blacks and their communities. Endeavors. We saw how the community supported its businesses because it understood that through the businesses, the community was supported. This symbiotic relationship developed organically out necessity.
Civil Rights and Black Arts Movement in America
The Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements began in the 1950’s. During this tumultuous time in the United States, African Americans were not only fighting for equal rights under the law, but they were fighting to keep their communities stable. The Black Arts Movement was an integral participant in both efforts. Using the tool of theater and other artistic mediums, African American artists fought injustice met upon their communities and fought to define their world under their terms (Neal 1968). New art forms were born during this time and new ways of communicating with the audience were created. Performances were conducted at churches and brought to schools, fundraisers were held for various community organizations, and schools of art were created to both provide children with after school activities but also to foster passion and hope for brighter futures (Hay 1994). Unfortunately, the once thriving communities, where businesses had flourished and the Black dollar circulated fluidly, began to experience economic downturns. Residents who achieved a certain amount of wealth left for higher quality homes, businesses closed, and communities fell into squalor and blight. Black theater became a bastion of hope in a land of growing hopelessness.
The Civil Rights Movement marched, however, as the political rights were won, economic freedoms disappeared. In 1939, Black consumers spent $24 Million in Black grocery stores, an equivalent of every, “African American in the country spending $2.00 of their annual grocery purchases at black owned businesses,” (Walker 1999:632). This is a stark contrast to the less than $.02 of every Black dollar spent in today’s economy going to Black business. Compounded by the fact that the $.02 spends only six hours in the Black community before moving out into other cultures’ economies. This is even a starker contrast when compared to the seventeen days the White dollar circulates within White communities before moving into other cultures’ economies (Anderson 2012).
“Black People are not Philanthropic”
The needs of the Black community changed. Throughout American history, African Americans have had consistent philanthropic habits (“Cultures of Giving Kellogg Report” 2012). That history also tells us that African Americans have donated their money to entities they believed would have a direct affect on the improvement of their lives. During the 1960’s and 1970’s Black theaters sprung up around the country with strong community support because they were supporting and working for their communities (Hay 1994). As seen in many Black and urban communities in America, racially motivated laws prevented African Americans from seeking living arrangements outside the confines of land they were apportioned. This phenomenon is highlighted in the story of the Tenth Street District in Dallas, TX. Despite the forced limitations on these communities, they thrived and grew. This was a time of reaping within the Black community in which businesses, families and entertainment thrived. This was a time when the mandatory interconnectedness of the community allowed the ecosystem to be full and healthy. This growth and stability lasted until communities began to: a) became overpopulated, b) were neglected by local governments for more favorable locations of development and c) experienced the Post Civil-Rights Era Black Flight, where African Americans who had the means to leave neighborhoods that were falling towards blight, did
Next essay in this series dig into the State of Black Theater (June 7) and ending with possible action steps toward healthy solutions (July 10).
Adaptation of Tanesha M. Ford thesis research for MS in Arts Administration.
Tanesha is the Co-Founder of Artistic Pride Productions, Founder and Executive Director of For de Arts. With a MS in Arts Administration, focusing on digital marketing and audience development, Tanesha is available for speaking engagements and developing strategic plans for developing arts organizations. Constructive feedback on this series is welcomed as I continue to develop content.
