Eleanor Taylor is the author of Two Afro-American contributions to the dramatic form, where she discusses the origins of minstrelsy and slave narrative. Taylor expresses her opinion on how over time Americans have mistaken the serious historical facts about the Afro-American art form. In the essay she references Zora Neal Hurston "to those of you who want to institute the Negro theatre, well it is already established. It is lacking in wealth, so it is not seen in the high places…the real negro theatre is in the Jooks and cabarets." (Hurston, 24). This is in fact very insightful because black theatre has been around for a long time. We just only count the times that make a revenue as "theatre". Without the early stages of Negro theatre there would not be any minstrel shows, or African American theatre in general. In the essay, she teaches (or reminds) us that Minstrel shows is a black tradition that is stolen. The Minstrel show material has roots all the way from Yoruba mash traditions, songs and dance. Taylor states "The racist minstrel character has, undoubtedly, obscured the value of the minstrel stage (Taylor, 50). Minstrelsy over the decades has changed from an artistic educational art form to a …show more content…
It is always interesting and helpful to hear a professionals opinion on a subject matter even if you don't agree with the completely. I do though agree with Taylors stance on this subject. Minstrelsy was not created to diminish a certain race. In fact, it was created to share with the audience stories, folk songs, and experiences of the African American heritage. Over the centuries it became evident that they were making the art form even more racist and inaccurate because it was making a big profit. People were paying attention because they found it entertaining and it was a time where diminishing the African American culture was accepted in most of the