Black Camelot: African-American Culture Heroes in Their Times, 1960-1980

In this fascinating, thorough account of how African-American icons of the 1960s and '70s have changed the course of American history, University of Wisconsin Afro-American studies professor Van Deburg (New Day in Babylon) does the near-impossible. He provides both a solid overview of race relations and social institutions and an in-depth, even-tempered analysis of specific issues, whether it be boxer Jack Johnson's ""flouting of `acceptable' behavior"" or the fashion influences of Black Panthers' leather jackets and slacks. Van Deburg's witty, lively and always grounded style entertains while it instructs (he describes Jimi Hendrix as ""an expatriate artist whose Statocaster-served-flambe solos revealed the many artistic and commercial possibilities open to those skilled in borrowing from whites who had stolen from blacks""). Van Deburg argues that black cultural heroes of the time filled the void created by JFK's death, satisfying the public's need for ""Camelot""--a world of glamour, grace and near-divinity--but also offering hope to American blacks. Unlike many cultural studies of race representation, Van Deburg goes beyond Shaft and James Brown to include figures such as The Last Poets musical group and actor Jim Kelly as the ""Black Samurai."" And he never discusses his subjects in a vacuum, always exposing social and historical contexts. In his brief conclusion, Van Deburg offers sobering, but not despairing, comments on the effects of the Reagan years on African Americans. With any luck, Van Deburg will follow up with a look at the African American culture heroes of that era as well. (Nov.)