In this article, Janell Hobson analyzes two important events in American music history, as well as the history of black female musicians and music performers. In 1939, despite major differences—from the style of their music to their intentions behind these musical events—both Marian Anderson, a contralto classical vocalist, and Billie Holiday, an infamous jazz singer, perform acts of social protest through song. Anderson was asked to perform an Easter Sunday concert at Lincoln Memorial “after the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused to allow her performance at Constitution Hall” (Hobson), and Holiday recorded “Strange Fruit” at Commodore Records when her record company, Columbia Records, would not allow her to. Hobson asks whether these singers actually signify social protest through these songs and these performances, or if these events continue to reinforce “black women’s voicelessness in cultural discourses on American music heritage and, ironically, in political narratives.”
Black women’s singing, Hobson argues, is not only a site of struggle between “objectification and agency,” but a site of resistance. Although there is a danger of rendering black women’s protest songs as purely sentimental with no political message, the ironic edge of both Anderson and Holiday’s performances not only signify a political stance against racism but “what Holiday has called “personal protest” against the interlocking effects of racism and sexism” (Hobson). Anderson’s rendition of patriotic “America” is given a different perspective when sung in the context of racial protest. Holiday brought her own personal protest to Lewis Allen’s poem, by connecting the lynching scene depicted within the poem to her own experience of her father dying in a segregated hospital. Hobson ultimately argues both these women “placed black women’s singing in the political arena,” and opened up opportunity for other black women’s voices to be heard.
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Learning about the acts of protest both Marian Anderson and Billie Holiday performed as black women at a time when racism was so prevalent within Western society was very inspirational. So inspirational, that it inspired a group of students, including myself, to mark the nearing of Anti-Racism day (Mar 21) with a sidewalk art demonstration on campus. 'Strange Fruit' was the major inspiration for us to 'hang' images of racism and of adversity against racism on the trees around the campus courtyard. Unfortunately the demonstration was met with criticism by an angry student who wrote an article to The Phoenix, UBCO's student newspaper. One of his grand claims was how "racism has largely been eliminated from North American society." He felt our demonstration was "opening up a healed wound" and was "disparagement for disparagement's sake."
It is always upsetting and disappointing to hear the denial and refusal to accept how racism continues to exist within Western society. It is precisely within popular culture where I see the continued perpetuation of negative stereotypes based on race. One of the images I hung on the trees was an image of pop singer Gwen Stefani, surrounding by her infamous 'Harajuku Girls.' While No Doubt, the band in which Stefani fronted during the 90s, was one of the first bands I fell in love with, Stefani has increasingly moved from a powerful female musician, who angrily protested the constrictions of femininity through songs such as 'I'm just a Girl,' to a popstar who has completely appropriated Japanese subcultures to sell records. I find her representation of these silent, exoticized Japanese back-up dancers to be racist, perpetuating negative stereotypes of Japanese women.
Gwen in her "I'm just a Girl" days...
Like how Holiday vividly portrayed racism through 'Strange Fruit,' I hope musicians such as Tracy Chapman, continue to portray the realities of racism, rather than continuing to perpetuate minorities through negative representations.
...Gwen today, appropriating Japanese culture
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