Great essay, with many things to think about. I visited the BDC and Greenwood Rising (and Wanda J's) last summer, traveling from Vancouver Island to Tulsa, by way of KC (on the way back I visited the American Jazz Museum). It was curious to me how the BDC is located just a block or two away from the historical Black Wall Street, which itself continues to melt away -- Wanda J's was scheduled to move to a new location across town shortly after I visited in August. I was also aware of the tensions between the Greenwood business association and the Greenwood Rising center, although I didn't know that it was Kaiser that built that Center. So, thanks once again for this thoughtful essay.
Being a Bob Dylan fan, this really resonated with me:
> the BDC is a gilded bastion catering to whiteness in the midst of a white district nestled next to the former Black Wall Street, one of the most historically and presently racially fraught areas of the country.
Thanks so much for your observations. I am sorry to hear that Wanda J's is moving. By the way, the Jazz Museum in KC was a pretty cool place, I thought, so I am glad you made it there as well! And thanks for subscribing!
It's a really fascinating corner of the U.S. I actually stopped in Fort Scott, and I did not realize it was the home of Gordon Parks, and that the town itself was a key destination of the Great Exodus. I'm really thankful the Bob Dylan Center gave me a chance to explore this part of the U.S.
Thanks for the revision and the reading, Jim. You are correct: it is incumbent upon a fan of Dylan's body of work to take the erasures of history, and the ghosts that haunt us still, seriously. There needs to be a deeper listening to those voices that register on wavelengths beyond the courtroom that handed down this decision.
Great essay, with many things to think about. I visited the BDC and Greenwood Rising (and Wanda J's) last summer, traveling from Vancouver Island to Tulsa, by way of KC (on the way back I visited the American Jazz Museum). It was curious to me how the BDC is located just a block or two away from the historical Black Wall Street, which itself continues to melt away -- Wanda J's was scheduled to move to a new location across town shortly after I visited in August. I was also aware of the tensions between the Greenwood business association and the Greenwood Rising center, although I didn't know that it was Kaiser that built that Center. So, thanks once again for this thoughtful essay.
Being a Bob Dylan fan, this really resonated with me:
> the BDC is a gilded bastion catering to whiteness in the midst of a white district nestled next to the former Black Wall Street, one of the most historically and presently racially fraught areas of the country.
Nevin,
Thanks so much for your observations. I am sorry to hear that Wanda J's is moving. By the way, the Jazz Museum in KC was a pretty cool place, I thought, so I am glad you made it there as well! And thanks for subscribing!
It's a really fascinating corner of the U.S. I actually stopped in Fort Scott, and I did not realize it was the home of Gordon Parks, and that the town itself was a key destination of the Great Exodus. I'm really thankful the Bob Dylan Center gave me a chance to explore this part of the U.S.
Thanks for the revision and the reading, Jim. You are correct: it is incumbent upon a fan of Dylan's body of work to take the erasures of history, and the ghosts that haunt us still, seriously. There needs to be a deeper listening to those voices that register on wavelengths beyond the courtroom that handed down this decision.