Inquiry into Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom confronts racism and brings to light similarities in even today’s society, which are still occurring as of 2020. It is a societal reminder that not much has changed since the 1920s.
Racism is very much alive, and there is still a strong opposition to change in America.
It’s incredible to me how truly ahead of her time Ma Rainey indeed was. She knew that “the white folks” want her voice and couldn’t care less about her once they have it. She was unwilling to change who she was to give in to their expectations of her and their wishes. Not only for a black person does this present as powerful, but as a black WOMAN in the 1920s, I don’t know how we went so long without hearing about Ma Rainey.
Listening to the stories the band members exchange were some of the most “ring true to home” you can get when it comes to how racism is still rich today. Levee recalls his mother being held down, raped, and murdered by white men in front of him as a child, an innocent. Strong emotions were brought up for me of George Floyd, a black man being held down by a white police officer and murdered in front of America. It shattered any nativity we had about police brutality. The anger and sorrow Levee feels each time he brings up this past trauma is what most of us felt seeing it hearing about George Floyd. For Levee, it ate him from inside; for America, it united us.
. Another story told was that of a black pastor being killed just for being black in a white Southern town. Pastors are considered people of God and untouchable, but yet being a pastor did not save this man because he is black. This made me think of how the Proud Boys and Trump’s Militia stalked elected officials tour buses in Texas and make kidnap attempts on Governors. Just as a pastor is supposed to be in touch, society has also deemed celebrities, public officials, clergymen, etc. Yet these two groups of white people take it upon themselves to harass, terrorize, and in some scenarios, harm because of their racist beliefs.
One of Ma Rainey’s last “stick it to the white man” acts she can pull off might seem minor to some, but it indeed shows how corporations will attempt to win on a deal at no cost. Ma Rainey has to leverage her signature on the release papers for her music rights with Irvin to ensure that her nephew is paid for his lines at the beginning of the track. She knows it doesn’t matter to the recording executives that he’s n the recording but does care about her song, style, and lyrics, and to have the rights to them; they have to play along. The similarities to Dave Chappelle’s current complaints about his original contract with Comedy Central for his hit show The Chappelle Show, are striking. Once again, a giant corporation with experience and lawyers are ensuring they earn all the profits and royalties and taking advantage of a talented minority, and presenting it with a bow on top!
At the end of this movie, Levee stabs Toledo for stepping on his shoe, an apparent overreaction. We see Levee redirect his anger from Mr. Sturdyvant deceived him into making him think writing lyrics would lead to him having his band like Ma Rainey. Unfortunately, in today’s world, this is still a common sighting. We see this repeatedly with young black men who witness their friends and family members become victims of gang violence. When I was an ER nurse in Baltimore City, our security team had to change their protocols when handling distraught family members of shooting victims. It became common for the families to attempt to come into our ER with 15 plus people, hostile and frequently armed. Yes, ARMED! To the hospital, where people were trying to save their loved ones. We are looking at a group of people who, if they haven’t seen shown or taught another way than gang retaliation, usually do not have the coping strategies to deal with loss and anger, so the cycle continues.
At the end of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, we see Clint Johnson, a white man singing Levee’s lyrics backed by a white band, but lacking all the lusher of blues, bringing home black people are undervalued and taken for granted repeatedly. Hopefully, we can one day stop the indiscriminate use of not only black people but all people for others’ gain.
