top of page
The Black National Anthem: “With Faith Unbroken” by Sarah Erckenbrack
It was a bright, sunny day in August of 1972, when Reverend Jesse Jackson opened one the greatest events in history with these words:...
Watts72
Jun 5, 20195 min read
INTRODUCTION: Seven Years Before Wattstax Was The 1965 Watts Rebellion by Zeyna Faucette
Photo source: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-watts-riots-explainer-20150715-htmlstory.html It all began on August 11, 1965,...
Watts72
May 23, 20194 min read
To Be Somebody at Wattstax by Gregory Esparza + Lindsay Hughes interview
The uplifting poem, “I Am Somebody” written by Reverend William Holmes Borders Sr. in 1943 could place in the minds of his congregation...
Watts72
May 16, 201924 min read
The Conditions That Led to Riots, Black Nationalism, and Wattstax by Christian Turner-Smith
Why did the uprising occur? High levels of unemployment and police brutality within African American communities led to the build up of...
Watts72
May 16, 20194 min read
Rising Up and Reaching Out: Black Solidarity Among the Watts Community by Antoinette Golmon
The anniversary of the Watts riots, 7 years prior, spearheaded an act of solidarity, through the utilization of various genres of music,...
Watts72
May 16, 20193 min read
From Chains of Gold to Afrofuturism by Gregory Esparza
The Bar-Kays We would be remiss not to contemplate the gold chains worn by Isaac Hayes and The Bar-Kays at Wattstax in 1972. I...
Watts72
May 16, 20193 min read
bottom of page