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29 BLACK PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW!

Don Cornelius...3/29

I wasn't sure if I should paint Don
Cornelius at first.  I didn't know if his name belonged next to Malcolm
X, or Frederick Douglass.  I mean, how big was his contribution to Black
history?  I quickly realized that Don Cornelius made and enormous
impact on Black culture!  As the creator of 'Soul Train', he was
responsible for amplifying Black pride.  In a society that didn't
produce many Black dolls, posters, or hero's, Soul Train gave Black
people a weekly shot of Black pride.  It gave us a chance to look in the
mirror and appreciate how beautiful we were.  Soul Train was created on
the heels of James Brown's hit "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud!"
This positive energy fueled by the a longing for freedom and dignity,
was propelled by Soul Train. It reinforced how cool it was to be
Black, and to say "right on!", and to rock your afro, and feel like you
were the finest thing since Chaka Khan and Billy Dee Williams. It was
our music that helped us through the middle passage, slavery, and the
civil rights movement.  Soul Train gave our music a special showcase
every week and gave a special stage to all of the great soul singers of
that time.  So, I honor Don Cornelius and his great contribution to our
culture with my portrait, and if you thought Soul Train was just about
dancing well, you just didn't get it!