Modest Mouse - Whenever You See Fit

A significant number of them took part in WWI, offering their lives and their strength for their country, willingly choosing to do so, an experience that greatly changed these men’s sense of belongings and expectation.

African American regiments proved to be particularly fierce and brave during the war, as was the case of the famous Harlem Hellfighters. True, these were segregated regiments, yet this very situation made it harder to deny African Americans’ achievements. It was a duality that became commonplace in the interwar years, especially in the 1920s. 

Prohibition unexpectedly gave African Americans the opportunity to show their culture, especially in the show business. Previous to Prohibition, only African Americans played and listened to jazz. But the pass of the 18th Amendment opened up the underground bars where jazzmen played to the general public, and suddenly, everyone was exposed to jazz and found they liked it.

It was a form of expression that spoke of the African American experience of liberation but resonated with the entire American society, and even beyond it, in a time when people wanted freedom and rejuvenation after the terrible experience of war.

The popularity of jazz opened the way to more avenues of expression for African American artists, who became generally acclaimed. African Americans had been part of the American experience for centuries, but now they were being discovered and deemed new. 

This didn’t mean that everything was nice and good. African Americans still had to face widespread racism and racial stereotyping. As they became more visible in American society, they were still described and represented with old racial stereotypes, which, to a certain point, they managed to use at their advantage.

Source: 1920s Blueswomen, the Voice of Freedom by Sarah Zama

Modest Mouse - Whenever You See Fit

• Released: Jul 7, 1998
• Genre: Electronic, Rock
• Duration: 14:28

"Modest Mouse shaped the sound of late '90s indie rock and enjoyed mainstream success in the years that followed. Modest Mouse was founded in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington by guitarist and vocalist Isaac Brock, bassist Eric Judy, and drummer Jeremiah Green."

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