1976 song by Stevie Wonder
"Black Man " is a track on the 1976 Stevie Wonder album Songs in the Key of Life . The song was written by Wonder and Gary Byrd .[ 2]
The song was written about Wonder's desire for worldwide interracial harmony,[ 3] and criticism of racism.[ 4] The lyrics referred prominently to Crispus Attucks , widely considered the first martyr of the American Revolution . Wonder deliberately chose this theme as the United States Bicentennial was underway at the time of recording.[ 5]
Lyrics
The opening verses refer to 12 people, with four people per verse each, broken by the chorus and bridge. The song uses color terminology for race .
a black man – first man to die for the American flag (Crispus Attucks )
the redman – first people on American ground (Native American people )
a brown man – guide on the first Columbus trip (Pedro Alonso Niño )
the yellow man – laid tracks for railroads (Chinese workers )
a black man – first heart surgeon (Dr. Daniel Hale Williams )
a redman – helped pilgrims to survive at Plymouth (Squanto )
a brown man – leader for farm workers' rights (Cesar Chavez )
a white man – inventor of incandescent light bulb (Thomas Edison )
a black man – created first clock to be made in America (Benjamin Banneker )
a red woman – scout who helped lead Lewis and Clark Expedition (Sacagawea )
a yellow man – pioneer of martial arts in America (Bruce Lee )
a white man – Emancipation Proclamation (Abraham Lincoln )
The second section is a call-and-response format, calling out 17 people.[ 2]
Matthew Henson – a black man – first man to set foot on the North Pole
Squanto – a redman – first American to show the pilgrims at Plymouth the secrets of survival in the New World
Sing Kee – a yellow man – soldier of Company G who won high honors for extraordinary heroism in World War I[ 6] [ 7]
Cesar Chavez – a brown man – leader of United Farm Workers who helped farm workers maintain dignity and respect
Dr. Charles Drew – a black man – founder of blood plasma and the director of the Red Cross blood bank
Sacagawea – a red woman – great American heroine who aided the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Hayakawa – a yellow man – famous educator and semanticist who made outstanding contributions to education in America
Garrett Morgan – a black man – invented the world's first stop light and the gas mask
Harvey William Cushing – a white man – American surgeon who was one of the founders of neurosurgery
Benjamin Banneker – a black man – man who helped design the nation's capitol , made the first clock to give time in America and wrote the first almanac
Hiawatha – a red man – legendary hero who helped establish the league of Iroquois
Michio Kushi – a yellow man – leader of the first macrobiotic center in America
Jean Baptiste – a black man – founder of the city of Chicago in 1772
Dennis Banks – a red man – one of the organizers of the American Indian movement
Luis de Santángel – a white man – Jewish financier who raised funds to sponsor Christopher Columbus' voyage to America
Harriet Tubman – a black woman – woman who led countless slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad
T. J. Marshall[ 8] – a black man – inventor of the fire extinguisher (barely heard during fadeout)
References
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