For Brother Cornelius - 2/2/12

"On the first day of a month that owes a portion of its lustre to him, Brother Don Cornelius passed away, victim of an apparent suicide. I don't know what drove the Brother to it, but I do know that it's a travesty to have lost such an impactful man in the incipient moments of a time where he would be honored and his legacy cherished. At a time when America was still reeling from the Civil Rights Movement and wasn't fully accepting of Black music and culture, the velveteen emcee brought Black cool and Black soul music to a platform, boarded the train, and chugged his way to a level of success that seemed unimaginable for such a television program. Artists like Al Green, Bobby Caldwell, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and others were given a chance to perform in front of an afro'd, bellbottomed, and youthful crowd like White artists; proud Black teens and twenty-somethings had an outlet for THEIR music and dance moves. Creating, producing, and hosting the show, Don Cornelius took that intersection of culture and music and made it matter on a national scale. The Soul Train was a mode of transportation that took you from your living room to a land of grooves, moves, and sing-a-long tunes, a locomotive that would take Black people and Black music into the mainstream and beyond. Cornelius' legacy is immeasurable. He was a pioneer, a visionary, and, most importantly, a purveyor of Black culture when there really weren't any. That voice, that style, that silently effusive braggadocio; it was a microcosm of his people. He was the face of his audience, of his culture. No one could've represented it better. Now, as we bid the conductor adieu, we should wish him what he wanted for all of us: love, peace, and soul. May he now ride the train to eternal peace."

-A. Lewis