“It can be truly striking to sit back and reflect upon how American “pop” culture developed. Interestingly, so much of it derived from the traditions of those displaced through the African diaspora. Heartbreakingly, those were the same people whom American culture repressed, oppressed and dehumanized. What is also astounding is just how much joy, gratitude and love lie within these cultural products — from dance to music to poetry to visual art — even in the face of such subjugation (and the struggles that resulted). “
