Alan Freed should be a a name that everyone knows.
Often regarded as the ‘father of rock and roll’ for giving the genre its title
While also playing songs on the radio by their original black artist…
Instead of the “norm” of playing covers of the songs by white artists
Playing the black artists on the radio was only the first step in the difference he wanted to make in the world
In a time where Rosa Parks was getting arrested on a Montgomery bus
And before MLK Jr. touched the country with his dream
Alan organized live concerts where all races would attend causing a huge backlash from community “leaders” like parent groups, church leaders, and the press
These groups disagreed with Alan’s inclusiveness and got much of the music he played banned from the radio
Alan Freed’s Biography Big Beat Heat was made into a movie in 1999 where the quote, “He was also colorblind – he loved the beat, he loved the people who made the music, and the fact that they were black made no difference to him.”
We believe Alan saw their color…
But he saw their color and didn’t believe in how this group of people was treated
He empathized with them for everything that had got them to where they were that day…
But how far they had come wasn’t enough
And although we have come a long way since Alan’s movement…
Every piece to this movement of true equality is more important than the last
To keep moving in the right direction we need to remember the injustice of the past and current times,
Use it to educate ourselves, and make proper and unrelenting steps until the goal is reached
Don’t lose the pieces that built to today, use them