“The Janitor who Paints” by Palmer Hayden “From the Dark Tower” by Countee Cullern. “Brown” by Jo Trent from the musical Rang Tang. "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue," by Fats Waller, Andy Razaf, Harry Brooks, 1929. Preparation Instructions Song(s) used in lesson:
Perhaps the stark contrast of the setting communicated the sentiment of the text with such impact that the audience, somewhat startled, responded initially with nervous laughter. When the song “Black and Blue” made its debut within a “colored” musical revue called Hot Chocolates, it was sung by Edith Wilson, a black singer who sang it on stage draped entirely in white. Writing Standard for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12
African-American Art & Identity in the 1920s