Roots Council Presents Jazz Concert, Black History Month Events
By: Ashley Simpson and Joseph Sergio
The Lubbock Roots Historical Arts Council has been highlighting the African American experience through the arts since 1977. The Feb. 1 scholarship concert featuring jazz musician Tom Braxton is one example of how they inform the community about black history.
Eric Strong, the director of the Roots council, said the council proposed the concert idea to Texas Tech as a benefit to the Tom Braxton West Texas Scholarship. He said there had been an endowment donated in his name and he wanted to use it to honor James Braxton, Tom Braxton's father. Strong said that Braxton played at the concert as a tribute to his dad who played in an orchestra when he was younger.
Braxton attended Texas Tech on track and music scholarships after graduating from Lubbock's Dunbar High School and has shared the stage with artists including Dave Koz, Rick Braun, Luther Vandross, and Phillip Bailey, according to Tom Braxton's Web site.
Strong said in addition to Braxton's jazz performance, they talked about the impact that James Braxton had on everybody’s life. Strong said the concert also featured a video and a special musical piece played by Tom Braxton, specifically for his father.
Ralph Hodge, a Lubbock resident who graduated from Dunbar High School in 1962, attended the concert Friday. Hodge said Black History Month is a time for recognition of black leaders and their accomplishments.
“Oh man, to me it means everybody has history,” Hodge said.
Strong said he thought that the night was such a success because of the help from the Texas Tech Black Faculty and Staff Association and also because of James Braxton.
“The concert was a smashing success,” Strong said. “About 400 people showed up and the night went off without any problems whatsoever.”
Strong said that James had so much spirit and dedication that no matter what kind of mistakes may have taken place, things were going to run smoothly.
The Roots council was formed soon after the release of Roots, a movie detailing one family's struggle for identity in the wake of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, slave uprisings, and emancipation. Strong said the movie made people start researching their own family roots to see where they came from. He said that in some research he did, he came across an interesting story that took place near Tahoka, Texas, the town where he grew up.
Strong said the story was about a group of black cameramen that were chasing members of the Comanche tribe across the Llano Estacado and were able to survive without water by drinking the blood and urine of their horses. Strong originally wanted to paint a mural of this in Lubbock to show the struggles these men went through, but instead he and a group of men reenacted it.
“The first day we were out there a guy fainted,” Strong said, with a smile forming. “But the cool thing was that the reenactment made nation news, we had someone send us a paper from Billings, Montana, that had our picture on the front of it.”
Strong said that reenactment in 1978 really put the Roots council on the map.
Strong said that the Roots council has pieces of art from Lubbock all the way to the White House and members have been on the CBS Sunday Morning show. He said their future plans are to build a national monument so that people can always remember African Americans and the history of this country.
Strong said Roots is planning on being a part of activities throughout Black History Month. For more information visit the Lubbock Roots Historical Arts Council Web site.