Aja Burrell Wood, around 7:20 into this conversation centered around Jazz & Social Justice, talks about “music already being inextricably linked to our humanity” and then shares at 7:50 that “communities have to affirm themselves” because the “humanity of Black people in the United States was under fire, constantly under threat and constantly not recognized let alone not affirmed.”
This led us delving into Cultural Affirmation where we kept being pointed toward the topic of erasure, where Kevin Coval writes that “erasure is a kind of violence, and violence is one of the tenets of white supremacy.” And erasure can harm us all. We can lose out on learning kinesthetic and cultural elements, we might be forced to assimilate into a singular ideal shaped by white supremacy.
Examples of erasure within the Denver swing scene include “The Death of Lindy Hop” and “The Swing Revival” as conveyed by Denver Swing Dance’s site in 2015 which echoed how many talked about Lindy Hop. Generations of Black folks continued to dance Lindy Hop but their contributions mostly went unacknowledged as organizers favored storytelling centering white viewpoints. Or organizers, such as ourselves, continued masking the name Lindy Hop under appropriated names.
As Fiveable shares on Cultural Affirmation, “affirmation fills in what is missing. It makes room for stories about ordinary life, resistance, joy, language, migration, religion, foodways, and political struggle. In other words, it widens the picture so a community is not reduced to one narrow image.”
So what are some ways to counter erasure and move toward affirmation? Here are some of our ideas:
Using dance names bestowed by the Black communities that helped form them such as Lindy Hop
Share that these dances, the music, the songs, the personal stylings were forged by being in community. While we love celebrating individuals (and we still can), we find it’s important to center them within the community. This is a good post to read if you have access to it.
Engage in robust storytelling by telling fuller stories yourself, bringing in an expert or organizing a group outing to a place like Black American West Museum & Cultural Center
Identify and question dominant narratives as you ask - “who does this center and why?”