This week's readings reminded me of the importance of remembering those who are no longer with us, and honoring the legacy they leave behind. Gayle Wald’s piece discussed how she noticed a significant lack of public knowledge about Rosetta Tharpe, even though Tharpe had a huge influence on rock ‘n’ roll music. Even when Rosetta Tharpe was mentioned throughout music history, she was often misrepresented. During Wald’s research on Rosetta Tharpe, she began to question “how certain figures—primarily racial-ethnic minorities and women—are rendered invisible”, despite their major contributions to society. This is an issue found in all aspects of history, because history is written by those in power, and the stories they tell can differ greatly from other perspectives whose voices go unheard. This idea connects to the celebration, Day of the Dead, which is a tradition in Latin American culture of honoring family and friends who have passed away. The Chicago Tribune article states that “Day of the Dead customs are passed down from generation to generation”, which makes this tradition a beautiful way for people to be remembered by the ones who knew them best. Passing down this tradition helps to ensure that nobody is ever truly forgotten, because the stories about them continue to be told. This was one of the challenges Gayle Wald faced when writing Rosetta Tharpe’s biography, since Tharpe’s peak of fame was over 80 years ago, and she was “seldom interviewed by journalists”. During Wald’s research she “ended up conducting about one hundred interviews, chasing down anyone who had ever had meaningful contact with Tharpe”. Honoring loved ones who have passed is simple on the smaller scale of friends and family. However, when notable figures are put into mainstream historical narratives, many of them can be erased or misrepresented because of how those in power choose to tell the story.
Songs:
"History Has Its Eyes on You" from Hamilton
"History Has Its Eyes on You" from Hamilton
“History Has Its Eyes on You” from Hamilton is a song that immediately came to my mind, because it is all about how it's impossible to have complete control over how you are remembered. The lyrics “You have no control over...who tells your story” relates to how musicians like Rosetta Tharpe are sometimes remembered in history, yet not always accurately, or how they would want to be portrayed. Celebrations like Day of the Dead are great for family and friends to remember their loved ones, because they actually knew them. Once people become notable figures in history, it becomes more difficult and complex to tell their story correctly, especially as time goes on. The next song I chose, “Burn”, is also from Hamilton, but I had to include it because it directly relates to how primary sources influence how history is told. The lyrics “I’m erasing myself from the narrative. Let future historians wonder” are a great reminder of how the stories of women and minorities have been under-represented in public records throughout history. Which is why projects like the Women Who Rock Oral History Archive are so important, so that in the future we will have archives to look back on that give proper credit and a more inclusive and accurate portrayal of our culture.
Readings
Tuesday:
Gayle Wald, “Rosetta Tharpe and Feminist Unforgetting,” Journal of Women's History, Volume 21, Number 4, Winter 2009, 157-160.
Thursday:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-day-of-the-dead-altar-diagram-spanish-english-20151029-htmlstory.html
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