Project Awakening - Black History Month USA February

Project Awakening - Black History Month USA February

Also known as African-American History Month, it was first observed by students and faculty at Kent State University in 1970. In 1976 it evolved into a month-long celebration and became a national holiday when President Gerald Ford recognized “the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history” in a speech to mark the United States Bicentennial.

Moses B. Norman-Orangeburg changed his life. February 1968.

A Bowling Alley operated on a segregated basis was the angst of S.C. State College and Claflin College students. Attempts to integrate the bowling alley had culminated in protest and disturbances and the college administration were calling on the 1,500 S.C. State College students to remain on Campus.

S.C. National Guardsman were called up to quell what were called riots.

Accounts say 3 dead and at least 37 injured, 27 of whom were released in the custody of the State College infirmary. All the killed or wounded were Black, shot by S.C. Highway Patrolmen. Moses B. Norman was standing in front of Lowman Hall on the Campus that night. He drove some wounded to Orangeburg Hospital. Henry Smith, one of the dead was a friend of Moses. Both Chemistry majors.

Partly from that experience came project Awakening 1970/71. As he says ‘a way to channel anger and frustration into constructive action’.

The Moses Dillard and Martha Starr ‘Cheating, Teasing, & Misleading’ record appeared on Awake AK101 (Nov 1971 date on 45cat.com) and also on Bert Bern’s Shout S-248 label (Jan 1972 date on 45cat.com), As far as I can tell both takes are identical. Recorded at Rod Kinder’s Spring St, Atlanta Kin-Tel Sound Studios it subsequently led to a purchase deal with Eddie Briscoe & Ilene Berns (as too did Shout S-253 ‘I Promise to Love You’ featuring Peabo Bryson).

Dillard had at least two labels, Piedmont Records and Brighter Day Records- Dillard & Boyce (Disco-Gospel). In a 1979 interview Dillard said “I plan to delete Gospel in favour of the contemporary sound of spiritual consciousness” [Source Walter Carter, Disco Producers Make New Nashville sound]. A tag line not dissimilar to that of AWAKE AK101 “a new sound of consciousness”.

The First of the intended seven Awake shops opened in Oct 1971 at 211 Waller Ave, Greenwood S.C. The shops were an extension of Moses B. Norman’s Project Awakening, which was an idea that had come about from his time as youth director of the Greenwood County Chapter of NAACP.

So, was Awake AK101 & Moses Dillard in some way helping out project Awakening? After all, he (Moses Dillard) had been executive director and co-founder of the 1970 Miss Black South Carolina pageant and a vice president of NAACP.

Moses B Norman who had run the local pageant took the project Awakening group to Greenville where they staged the State pageant. In return Moses Dillard teamed up with project Awakening becoming one of the five state directors.

Shop opens in Oct 1971, AK101 releases in Nov 1971…serendipity.

KenB Feb 2022

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