A History of Redevelopments
My humanities moment comes in the form a song called "Inner City Blues," by Marvin Gaye. The song was released in 1971 and it was a vocal illustration of the widening gap of inequality, racial instability, and social hardship endured by Black Americans in urban cities. <br /><br />I had heard the popular songs by Gaye before, but I had never really listened to his catalog in full. So when I finally heard "Inner City Blues," I immediately knew what he was talking about because I was able to witness similar things in my hometown, I just did not have the words. But this song helped me put my hometown into perspective and look deeper into the history of Sacramento (California). This song inspired my master's thesis on displacement and gentrification in Sacramento. And it helped be further understand the place I come from. "Inner City Blues" also inspired me to develop a travel exhibit that depicts change over time in Sacramento throughout all of its' cycles of rebirth, death, and redevelopment as a city.
Marvin Gaye
"Inner City Blues"
2017
Ari Green, 27, Doctoral Student and Archival Processing Assistant
history-redevelopments
My Favorite Things
I was taking trumpet lessons and playing baritone horn in my high school’s concert band. I had been listening to music, including classical music, and buying jazz albums for years. High school was not the high point of my life but music had always brought me to a higher understanding of my feelings toward the world around me. It still does.
At the age of 74, I could describe many humanities moments but this one stands out. Sometime in 1961, my brother was driving me home when I first heard Symphony Sid play John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” over the radio. I was a veteran jazz listener at that time but the sound of this recording captivated us. From the time it started, it took less than the 13 odd minutes of the performance to get home but we could not leave the car until the music was finished. Afterwards we turned off the radio and sat in silence for 5 minutes before we talked about what we had just heard.<br /><br />I was taking trumpet lessons and playing baritone horn in my high school’s concert band. I had been listening to music, including classical music, and buying jazz albums for years. High school was not the high point of my life but music had always brought me to a higher understanding of my feelings toward the world around me. It still does.
John Coltrane
“My Favorite Things” by John Coltrane
1961
George Bailey, 74. Retired helicopter pilot (45 years). Failed musician, proficient amateur illustrator, avid sailor.
my-favorite-things