Central Avenue: The Black Broadway of Los Angeles (original) (raw)
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Central Avenue in Los Angeles emerged as a vibrant cultural hub for Black Americans during the early to mid-20th century. This paper examines the historical significance of Central Avenue, highlighting its role as a center for music and entertainment, particularly in jazz. Through oral histories and directories, it reveals the social dynamics of segregation, the flourishing of Black-owned businesses, and the diverse entertainment scene that positioned Central Avenue as 'The Black Broadway' of Los Angeles along with the impact it had on the broader cultural landscape.
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JAZZ AND RACISM IN THE USA DURING JIM CROW
Separate but equal". Is that possible? The U.S. Supreme Court put forward this motto after the case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. Despite claiming to be the freest democracy all over the world, the USA allowed and institutionalized racism and segregation for decades, especially in the South, under the yoke of the Jim Crow legislation. Whites only saw African-American people as servants, because segregation separated them at schools, in public transportations, at restaurants, at cultural events, etc. Even more serious were the lynchings that have been taking place until very recently without any consequences for the executers. Segregation involved people from all social classes and, of course, it also affected musicians, coercing their careers when playing, travelling and in every single aspect in their lives, as I am going to illustrate in the present paper with multiple examples. Therefore, the aim of this essay is to show how jazz was employed as a mechanism against racism in different ways, such as the support of political organizations or the use of the music itself (lyrics, record covers) to show both the horrors of segregation and the pride of being African American, and the offer of the same working conditions to musicians, no matter the colour of their skin.
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