The 1970s emerged out a period of racial struggle for civil liberties. Preceding the 1970s, a sense of black pride and celebration developed from the black power movement. This sense of group identity inspired other disenfranchised groups to also seek their own cultural autonomy. Labels such as African-American, Mexican-American, and Asian-American started being used, emphasizing the significance of diversity as opposed to assimilation. Affirmative action was introduced in the 1970s to promote and reflect the multicultural difference in institutions. This new outlook on American society through diversity rather than the assimilationist perspective signaled an important change that challenged traditional views and caused tremendous backlash from white Americans. …show more content…
It appeared that the movement “reached its limits of its achievements” (Schulman 58). The rise of disco in the 1970s offered an outlet for frustrated, disenchanted and discouraged Black Americans to escape from their unfavorable reality to a place of mindless dance and music. Disco was attractive to alternative culture due to its support of “black pride, female sexual assertion, and liberation”(Schulman 73). Despite being criticized as gimmicky and inauthentic, often by the white straight conservative, disco had a notable effect on the evolution of blackness and the shifting gender roles of the 1970s. The mold of blackness was expanded through the dance and culture of disco music. Disco likewise transformed traditional notions of black masculinity and femininity by encouraging a more sensitive and emotional man and an empowered, sexual