From today’s perspective its easy to say, “what was wrong with those people,” but fifty years ago things were so much different. Few black men could rise above the garbage collector/shoe shine boy/elevator operator category in those days. Even great musical artists like Nat “King” Cole, Ben Webster and Billie Holiday had to go to the the rear entrance of the theater because the front door was barred to African-Americans. Fifty years has made an enormous difference. Today Robert DeNiro, Iman, Roger Ebert, Halle Barry, etc., can marry whomever they wish——–unthinkable just fifty years ago.

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