by Stephanie Gates

James Brown’s, Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud is an essential part of the soundtrack that is my life. It was in constant rotation on the radio, blasting from the windows of cars driving down the block, and playing on stereos in our homes during my childhood. As the Black Power Movement began taking shape, that song helped usher in a sense of pride in the Black community. Prior to that time period, to call someone “black” was an insult. We reclaimed our African ancestry and loved ourselves as we were. I saw people dressed in dashikis, African prints, and platform shoes sporting gigantic afros. It was a magical period in history; I loved living through it.