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Jim Crow-Jazz-New Orleans: The Great Migration

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Undoubtedly, I agree with the notion that jazz, blues, and the styles that came from them have positively impacted race relations, minimizing prejudice and changing hearts and minds regarding these issues.” In the early 1920s, during the great migration, thousands of African Americans left the Jim Crow south for better opportunities in the north (“The Great Migration” - New Orleans.pdf). With this migration came the birth of Jazz and the creation of Jazz clubs that challenged the prejudice of the era. Places were booming like Chicago, which was known to be more racially tolerant than the South. Moreover, clubs like the “Black & Tan” in Chicago allowed interracial mingling (“The Great Migration” - New Orleans.pdf). According to the article “Jim Crow- Jazz Musicians as Cultural Go-Betweens,” jazz music captured the imagination of white society and thousands of patrons …show more content…

Furthermore, race relations were positively impacted by jazz as it helped to foster relationships between black and white musicians who formed bonds based on their love of jazz and “gradually saw themselves as workers in similar creative enterprises” (“Jim Crow- Jazz Musicians as Cultural Go-Betweens”). Basically, jazz blurred the lines of race; also, it made black and white musicians see themselves as colleagues contrary to what society saw them as, (enemies) especially during a time when racial tension was prevalent. As far as minimizing prejudice, in the 1919 editorial titled “Jazzing Away Prejudice” it argued that the musical performance of James Reese Europe and his band helped to break down the barriers of prejudice. In the editorial it stated, “the most prejudiced enemy of our Race could not sit through an evening with Europe without coming away with a changed

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