Revolution Televised.pdf

What You See Is What You Get 55
cess and failure of these early programs influenced black television
artists and producers during the following decade. Unlike Black
Journal, which dealt directly with political and current news issues
affecting black America, Soul Train and The Flip Wilson Show were
music- and entertainment-driven programming. Resistant culture
may be more easily perceived in news programs such as Black Journal,
which as a newsmagazine clearly spoke out against racism and
its impact on black society and provided uplifting stories of advancement
within the black community. However, entertainmentbased
programming also took on a critical role in expanding the
position of black culture and politics within U.S. society.
Black society has traditionally improvised, finding alternate
venues for and modes of political and social action; in the 1960s
and 1970s, African Americans used television, among other sites,
for such purposes. Outside of network television, avenues of access
included local television outlets, arenas that enterprising African
Americans such as Don Cornelius utilized for Soul Train. Other
black performers and producers such as Flip Wilson forged their
way into network television. The analysis that follows reveals an
uneven legacy. There are moments when these programs are effective
in reflecting at least some of the diversity of African American
life in the 1970s, resisting narrow views of African Americans proposed
by the mainstream U.S. media. At other times the muted voice
and image of black life expose the ramifications of working within
a white-controlled industry at a politically hostile moment.
Peace, Love, and Soul Train
Five young African American children gather around a television
set arguing about what to watch. The words and animated locomotive
for Soul Train roar across the screen, and Aretha Franklin
is heard singing in the background. The music emitting from the
small screen disrupts the argument, and one brother shouts out,
“Soul Train line!” Another responds, “Snap, my favorite part of
the show.” Three of the brothers get off the bed and begin to imitate
the dancers on the TV screen, as they move rhythmically down
the line.
The men and women in the Soul Train line sport naturals and are
dressed in the hip accoutrements of the day—bell bottoms, broadcollared
shirts, wide belts, all garments remarkably recaptured
today by contemporary designers. The camera that is set up at the