These Cousins of Ours

Just where would we be without music? In fact, where would America be without the secret sauce of soul? Once upon a time nobody wanted to touch black music, didn't even want to play it on the radio. Now, soul themes are everywhere. Black music Month 2022 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Celebrating Black Music Month Recapping the roots of music in America. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

There is so much going on at the same time. Our young people are often conflicted by what they know is right, what they think is right and what they see going on all around them. Harlem, during the Great Depression when everybody was in short supply of basic needs still had to find their way thru life. The purpose here is for them to understand even during times of great turmoil and stress there were men, black men who put a constructive spin and a positive commitment to African Americans everywhere for a higher mentality to support a decent life. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Thank you everyone for your patience. I found myself going north, south, east and west all at the same time. I'm sharing an update on what I have been doing, and what I plan to do. I managed to write two plays since the holidays and ready to share it with the world. When the Truth Comes Out is my way of celebrating black women from our history, we don't hear much about. They changed the social and political American landscape and it's about time they had a good and proper shout out. Enjoy! Oh, yes. Feel free to reach with questions, comments ideas etc. Smart asses will be blocked. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Vivan Malone came from hard working people who just wanted the best for their children. That motivation encouraged Vivan to get her education even if it meant defying segregation laws of Alabama during the early 1960s. Amid incredible distractions, and at times incredible danger, she completed her education and became one of many brave women of color in our history. James Hood had the same goal as Vivan. Together they opened a pathway toward education easier for people of color. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

It was Aurelia Browder's case that ended the Montgomery Bus Boycott in November 1956. She was not afraid and tired but rather sick and tired of disrespectful treatment on the Montgomery Alabama Transit System. April 1955 Aurelia filed a lawsuit. Among the plaintiffs were Claudette Colvin, Susie McDonald and Mary Louise Smith. They had had enough too. Here is the story behind the story of Women who changed the direction of this country. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

American historical narrative has been neglected, sidelined and in some cases seen as an unacceptable threat to the comfort of some people. I want to share a story written be Gil Scott Heron. It's hilarious because it's true. Sad because it's true. He articulates the comfort zone, albeit a lie, that would please the ears and textbooks across America. It is entitled His Story written by Gil Scott Heron. I am reciting his piece and take no credit. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Part Two of a remarkable woman. She was an attorney for the NAACP fighting for people to gain access to education. She was on the front line for civil rights long before the modern civil rights movement began. Let's celebrate her life and contribution to the elusive struggle for equality and freedom --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

We should be paying close attention to the candidates for the Supreme Court. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, South Carolina U.S. District Court Justice Juliana Michelle Childs, and U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Garner. One of them could possibly be the first black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Their consideration was made possible, in part, by the Honorable Judge Constance Baker Motley. don't know about her? Tune in. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Did you see the ABC special? Do you know the history? The evil and shame of American History. It's not Critical Race Theory. It's American History. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Just wanted to make sure I ended on a positive, or at least a hopeful vibe. There have been times before when people thought the worst has arrived and there will be no redemption. Our cousins went thru the dark days and then had lighter moments. We will too. Thank you to everyone who tuned in, supported me and boosted my rating! I so appreciate. You know you can reach out to me at any time. Closing out 2021. Enjoy your holiday. Come back to visit in 2022! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Our cousins were destined to live miserable lives in the land of the free unless they took bold steps to confront injustice. Black women were at the forefront. They faced the usual threat but made enough noise to make a difference in the lives of people desperate to have a decent life. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

People were suffering all over the world from Imperial Power. America was no different. After WWI, an uprising arose. There was a huge pushback for self determination and to get the burden of powerful folks off the back of working folks to make way for a decent life. Of course, it became much more complicated. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Our cousins have been fighting for a chance to work for a decent life for a long time. From the end of WWI until the rumblings of the Civil Rights Movement, there was a Leftist Movement. It was a force to bring relief for labor, black and white, and for abolition of Jim Crow. it was cultural, social and political revolution that laid the foundation for the modern civil rights movement. I had the radio on in the background. I was enjoying swing era music to match the mood of the times --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

There was a vibrant communist movement from the 1920s thru the 1940s. Some of our cousins were a part of that movement in their struggle for freedom. Context is paramount. There was no interest in overthrowing the government or the American way of life. They were just trying to overthrow Jim Crow and all of the nasty conditions that went along with it. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

August. The Democratic Convention was held in Atlantic City. The bodies of the Freedom Boys were found. The Freedom Schools were teaching the young and the not so young. And the MFDP demanded that black people to be able vote and to be represented at the national level. The end of Freedom Summer --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Back from a wonderful summer! Now, we continue to look at our cousins who established Freedom Summer in 1964. They broke the strongholds of illiteracy, fear and disenfranchisement. Those roots are at our doorstep where we once again must confront the same challenges. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

THANK YOU SUPPORTERS! Here is an update of what I have up to. I have turned off the computer and enjoyed summer! Summer seems to fly by more quickly with each year, and I wanted to make sure I captured as much as possible before it slips away. You can follow me in Instagram, terriniteowl. FREEDOM SUMMER will continue and I will be back soon. Promise. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Behind the Iron Curtain in the state of Mississippi anything could occur. People were cheated, humiliated, abused, starved and killed. Perpetrators were free to do as they wished with impunity. Then, northern whites came to town and broke all of the rules. The long hot summer in 1964. Mississippi Summer Project a.k.a Freedom Summer --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

African Americans were legally blocked out of the political process by 1890. In spite of the some progress made thanks to the northern migration, the south was air tight in the grip of Jim Crow. It proved to be a long, hard and deadly fight to get the ballot into black hands and become a part of the political process. Sound familiar? It is not theory or conspiracy. It is history, Naked and raw. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Ending the groove with the liberating decade of the seventies. We went from the cabaret to the grand ballroom and then to the disco Dance floor! Times are a changing. Hope you enjoyed the series. I thank you for your support. Next series; Freedom Summer 1964. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

We will be wrapping this series up soon. The music by the 1960s served as an anthem to what was going on in our culture. Always did. We were angry and joyful. We were devastated and hopeful. We were impoverished and prosperous. A lot was going on at the same time. All you have to do is listen to the lyric behind the music to get the story straight. Enjoy! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

An overview with a poetic twist on the wonderful legacy of black music. It has deep roots and still bears nourishing fruit to feed our souls. The beautiful photo is by Diane Millsap. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Did you see the PBS documentary? Do you remember the time? It was the first program for black voices to air on television and reach a mass audience. Spoken word, current events from a black perspective, the pursuit of equality and mobility were all captured by the movers and shakers from the era. Of course, the feature for each episode was music. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

The rhythm of the One was all over the place. That's the funk. everybody had their unique style of funk and it resonated in with us all. Whether you're in the protest march, trying to heal from hurt or just loving on somebody special the funk could make it all the better. Moving into the seventies, a disillusioned populace not only needed the music to be their voice, it was also a much needed escape. Power to funk! Right on! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

We strolled thru Ragtime and early jazz. Then, we danced to swing music and the shook our shimmy and the start of Rhythm and Blues. Came on to Rock and Roll, independent labels when America was on fire. R+B with gospel brought Soul and now we got the Funk! Times are a changing. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

The melodic escapade thru the 20th century continues. The foundation of soul has been laid. American turmoil lit the match that brought our music to new heights for unity peace and pride. Especially pride. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

So pleased people actually have questions about our music. This episode includes a brief recap of our music. Ragtime and Scott Joplin, The Blues and W.C. Handy. Early Jazz and Jelly Roll Morton. Then I pick up where we left off getting to the end of the 1950s The next episode of Historical Groove takes us to the most explosive decade of the 20th century. The 1960s. My favorite. Thank you for your support! Sit back and enjoy. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Our cousins survived the Dust Bowl, The Great Depression, and World War II. we were the superpower of the world. Music broke out powerful genres too. Folks loosened up, starting shaking things they wouldn't dare shake just a few short years ago. Night Club chords and gospels licks were mixed up and shaking out new music that set the teenagers wild and everyone on hot, late night escapades. Music. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Toe Tapper. Toe Jam. that's the hot sauce behind the urbanization of music after World War II. Thanks to the Great Depression Swing Bands were fading out and a new form of music was emerging. The soulful sauce was so powerful, white kids starting listening too and the record companies paid attention. America was healing from the war, stuck in Jim Crow and the music carried everybody along. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

That's a Panoram folks! I'll tell you a little about it. The melodic evolution throughout modern history is fascinating. It is the soul of the musician that creates jazz from ragtime, rhythm and blues from jazz and gospel and Soul music from all that came before. Politics, racism, love, sorrow, and hot Saturdays nights marinate in juke joints and dance halls across the country leaving us with a priceless inheritance we can enjoy and share. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

We can visit our musical cousins any time and dance to our history. We can sing our history. We can listen to their lyric, listen to their story and allow the power of their gifted spirit enrich our lives. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Music speaks to every dimension of humanity. It captures everything that cannot be seen. A short journey of the the gift of music and how it can slowly seep and shape the spirit for deeper appreciation for friends, family and our cousins from the past. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Live music was all we had. Elegance was sexy. The upward mobility of African Americans was undeniable. Stress and anxiety of the late sixties disappeared when we walked into the grand ballroom for the Harvest Moon Ball. Black was beautiful. It was respectful and just a bit bourgeoisie. Dad was the leader of his twelve piece band. Mom was vocalist. And the indelible memories still make me smile --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Come with me and enjoy the organic power of music. I grew up with music in my home. Not just records and radio, but musicians, rehearsals and getting ready for the elegant Saturday night affair. Bringing the bygones back to life! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

It was a long hot year. The fall brought more turmoil with peaks of progress. Still in a desperate search for hope, peace and equality, America paused for just one moment as man took a giant step toward the future. Hope you enjoyed the series 1968. Send your questions and comments to me. I love hearing from you. We will soon visit our musical cousins and the legacy of melody and lyric! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

1968 was filled with blood and smoke and anger and hope. By summer, everything seemed to collide in Chicago during the Democratic Convention. We were torn between the war in Viet Nam, Civil Rights, and rogue politicians. There was just no end to the dismay that infected the entire country. Sound familiar? Forgot to mention that Aretha Franklin sang the National Anthem at the Democratic Convention...to a less than enthusiastic crowd. August 1968 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

The Freedmen were republican. Most of our near ancestor were too. How come they were republican? Why are most black folk democrats now? The democratic party was all white. Why are most whites republican today? What happened? This is just a brief explanation about what happened and why. More importantly, what on earth does the future hold? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Is it a new year or another year? It has often been said, there is nothing new under the sun. Our historical cousins can reveal just how familiar these crazy times are. They lived thru it. They survived it and so can we. Our historical literacy can help us enrich the life and times for us today. We can embrace familial memories and create more. Remember, understand and enrich yourself and one another. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

I reflect upon the the holidays from my childhood. The world was different. People were different. Nobody was wealthy but the holiday was rich. There wasn't technology to take away the organic spontaneity of song, enjoyment and visceral connection of one to another. When Christmas was colored, and I don't mean people! I have some pictures of vintage Christmas ornaments. You can go to Pinterest under my name. The board is I Still Have This! Wow, thank you for your support. Paypal @TLyons515. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

It seemed like anyone who was trying to save poor people ended up dead. It seemed like the war in Viet Nam was getting worse. Anger grew, but so did fun times. Could we be on the edge of a new day? Is there any hope left? Is it worth saving? Sound kinda like now. It's June 1968 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

We were hurt and trying to heal. We were upwardly mobile and on a downward spiral. We were at war trying to find peace. we were trying to be one nation that was split in two. I thank you all for your support --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

A prose of reflection. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Talk about exhaustion? Every day there was a protest, a demonstration. The entire nation was angry. Young people, black and white questioned authority. Challenged authority and rejected traditional sexist, racist, and unjust habits of America. It wasn't easy making a change. Just like now. April 1968. Thank you for your support! Contact me any time! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

If it wasn't the rebellions, it was the protests. If it wasn't the protests it was the presidential candidates. Then of course there was the Viet Nam war, burning draft cards. It was always something going on at the same time. America was coming apart. Sound familiar? The Din of Chaos. March 1968 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Just the second month of a chaotic year and it seemed as if the country was doomed to come apart. The rage against the Viet Nam War brought law enforcement to its knees. The sanitation strike, the Orangeburg Massacre and Panther Power threatened status quo. African Americans were talking louder and bolder than they ever had before. It was 1968 and America hasn't been the same since. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

It was the kind of year when there was one thing right after the other. The country was falling apart. There was hope and there was rage. It changed America forever. Kinda like now. These awful and necessary struggles must be reflected upon to add perspective and enrich our grounding. We got through 1968 and we will get through this. The idea is to get through it with a bigger and broader sense of our place in history and make it work for everybody. Power to the people. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Closing out the series, The Big Six with John Lewis. His recent passing in the heated climate of old dilemmas brings us back to what he fought for and the stamina in spirit he exhibited. Today, we need the same stamina and determination to fight our fight and not grow bitter. Review the soldiers of The Big Six. The spoke out against hatred. They were advocates for universal equality, and had a deep love for humanity. Thank you always for your support! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

The Executive Secretary for the NAACP, Wilkins brought its strength to the fight for equal rights across the board. He marched and supported every effort to knock down the walls of American oppression. His power to articulate the condition of African American citizens mad him an eloquent speaker and a mighty warrior of the 20th century. By the way, I thank you for your support. I really do. Your feedback is always welcome. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

He helped to launch Freedom Summer helping Mississippians to register to vote. He was a part of the Freedom Rides to bring about travel for black folks on integrated basis. He was the founder of C.O.R.E. He was jailed and came within and inch of his life by white folks because he wanted all of our cousins t live decent lives. You don't know him? I will introduce you to him. His is another king of the Big Six Thank you so much for your support! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support

Part three of the Big Six, A. Philip Randolph. He brought the power of the union in his fight for fair wage and fair employment to African Americans in the long struggle for dignity. His influence became a part of the March on Washington, but moreover he brought hope to our cousins to live decent and prosperous lives. Thank you all for your continued support! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/terri-lyons/support