"White Girl" gets an awakening to racial tension in SoCal liberal arts school

http://www.dailynews.com ^ | 06/26/2013 | Josephine Fenster

[BBell]

For seven years of my life, from sixth grade to twelfth grade at primarily black and Latino schools in Las Vegas, I was the White Girl. In sixth grade, my classmates assumed I came from money and were shocked to learn that I, too, took the bus to school. In basketball, I was always forgiven for my terrible dribbling, and, when I sank a shot, I was seen as impressive. My friends never laughed at me for being behind on the newest slang, and they often volunteered definitions for words I didn't yet know-"Not-White Girl Words," as we called them.

In my high school, everyone was aware of race, but no one was afraid of it. We joked about it constantly. When there was a dance circle, I wasn't expected to join it-white girls can't dance.

We all told Hector, a Catholic Mexican, that we knew he had to have at least ten siblings. If my half-black friend Carl rolled up in a shiny new car, we all joked that he must have jacked it. With our discussions and jokes, we played with stereotypes and made them non-scary. School administrators even planned an assembly for my class to talk about our inappropriate jokes, but then they decided it was okay and cancelled the event.

In 2010, I moved to Los Angeles and to college. My campus was (and is) diverse, but I was no longer the White Girl. Sometimes, frankly, I didn't even feel especially white. A lot of my fellow white girls were doing yoga and wearing designer jeans. I wasn't. I was used to people caring more about their shoes than the rest of their outfit.

My college, Occidental, is progressive. It prides itself on ethnic and cultural diversity. I'm proud to be a student here. But gone is

[BBell]

Just a couple

mary wells my guy

mary wells my guy

The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman

The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman

The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

The Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

The Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

Marvin Gaye ~ Lets get it on / Heaven must have sent you

Marvin Gaye ~ Lets get it on / Heaven must have sent you

[BBell]

killing me softly reggae version

Kashief Lindo

Although I love Roberta Flacks version I am a reggae fan. Love Bob Marley.

[viaveritasvita]

Thank you! My Guy...and Smoke...2 of my all time favorites. Here’s a few more backatcha (you have created a monster!)...

Chiffons, One Fine Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvyOqKhKWQ4

Drifters, Stand by Me (hope this is not a dupe...I’m getting tired)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaqjpfZJjpk

Little Eva, Locomotion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNNW0SPkChI

Little Anthony and the Imperials, Think I’m Going Out of My Head
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkCa5l_UGAk

Dixie Cups, Iko Iko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB3gQl2WFZI

Supremes, Come See About Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z47xJhnEOVI

You have no idea how you’ve lifted my spirits this evening...I mean, Dixie Cups Iko Iko!!!! It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that one...another world ago.

This is going to sound weird and kind of out of the blue, but...I wonder if the (so-called) star witness in the Zimmerman trial has ever heard even one of these wonderful songs?

[viaveritasvita]

Very nice...”something completely different.” lol

Here are a few of my “something different” for you...

Gipsy Kings, Love and Liberte
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtXt3K2FSVU

Van Morrison, Celtic Excavation (Ok, now I’m going to start crying!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiwg41B_WB0

[Windflier]

I think with few exceptions, rap and hip-hop, took music back a great deal.

No kidding. I grew up with the awesome soul music, jazz, and funk of the 60s and 70s. The introduction of rap in the early 80s was the death knell of that once great art form.

I'm listening to Al Green right now, as a matter of fact.

[Windflier]

The platters, drifters, four tops,Stevie Wonder, The coasters, the shirelles, the dixie cups, fats domino, little richard,CHUCK BERRY, leadbelly

With the exception of Stevie Wonder, all of that was the music of my pre-school years. Not quite my generation, but I still appreciate it.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Then there were the very fair-skinned black folks, who were just as biased toward darker black folks, just in a different way.****

Thirty years ago, movie critics Siskel and Ebert, noticed that in the blacksploitation films, the baddest guy was blackest guy.

[BBell]

I live very close to New Orleans. The Dixie Cups are from NOLA. Iko Iko is a staple during the parade season. This video can explain the origins better then I can.

IKO IKO - meaning of the real words and their origin

Although I am too young to have been in Vietnam here is a song that some of the vets I know said were popular over there

The Shirelles - Soldier Boy

Bobby Vinton - Mr. Lonely

Fats Domino is from NOLA and he still lives here. His piano was ruined by Katrina and it was just recently restored and given back to him. He does not perform anymore but he still makes public appearances.

[Lizavetta]

***Then there were the very fair-skinned black folks, who were just as biased toward darker black folks, just in a different way.****

Goes the other way too. Dark skinned blacks call the light skinned blacks "yellows".

Mexicans from the north part of Mexico consider the Mexicans from the southern end of Mexico beneath them, and vice versa - the Surenos versus the Nortenos.

It's everywhere.

[viaveritasvita]

Very much enjoyed the vid on the origins of words to Iko Iko! Always wondered.

Soldier Boy...a classic.

I think you may know who Buckwheat Zydeco is...? Used to exercise to some of his tunes. Go figure!

I was born in Detroit...grew up on Motown (and whatever it would have been called prior to being called Motown)...will always love the early “black” music.

My father was a jazz musician (as well as a truck driver and part-time accountant)...alto sax, which my sister still has...had his own band and played around on weekends...there used to be a few thick red vinyl recordings of them, but lost now...I was weaned on Stan Kenton (his favorite), Dave Brubeck (Take Five!!!), Keely Smith, Nat King Cole, etc.

He also loved classical...built his own hi-fi...big hulking thang with tubes...but you should have heard the London Symph Orchestra blaring out Pictures at an Exhibition!!!

It’s no wonder I’ve been told I have eclectic musical taste, eh?

Thank you again for lifting my spirits and bringing back wonderful memories of a happy, innocent time (when a smoke was a smoke).

[BBell]

You brought up Keely Smith which brings up:

Just a Gigolo & I Ain't Go Nobody

Louis Prima was from New Orleans and so was Sam Butera. I would have loved to have been able to see Louis Prima And The Witnesses with Keely Smith live.

[viaveritasvita]

Cool, daddy-o! LOL

I remember Louis Prima, too, but never heard of Butera. The vid reminded me (aside from the fact that I always thot Smith had the weirdest hairdo!) that my dad liked the swing bands, too. But I can’t for the life of me think of any!

I took my Dad to see Stan Kenton once...also saw the Beatles at the Olympia (I think that’s the name) in Detroit...AND Oscar Peterson at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge (one of the, if not the, oldest jazz clubs in the country, I believe)...he was not more than 5 feet away from our table.

Of course, I’ve also seen Black Sabbath (LORD, forgive me) with Elton John as warm-up band, Paul Butterfield Blues Band (in a tiny whole-in-the-wall place way back in the day) and Leo Kotke in concert...eclectic, I tell ya! LOL

Hey, we aren’t forgetting people like BB King or Otis Redding are we?

[PA Engineer]

I always considered rap to have originated in white culture. For your enjoyment and consideration I present Rock Island. ;-)