Donald McKayle's Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder
Homelessness, hunger, and worker oppression did not discriminate according to racial, gender, and ethnic lines, and were social issues that continued to plague many Americans even after the end of the Great Depression. In 1956, Donald McKayle (b. 1930) created Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder set to spirituals. It depicted a chain gang and demonstrated the oppression of workers and inhuman prison practices. According to McKayle, “The songs that accompany their arduous labor are rich in polyphony and tell a bitter, sardonic, and tragic story.”
Homelessness, hunger, and worker oppression did not discriminate according to racial, gender, and ethnic lines, and were social issues that continued to plague many Americans even after the end of the Great Depression. In 1956, Donald McKayle (b. 1930) created <em>Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder</em> set to spirituals. It depicted a chain gang and demonstrated the oppression of workers and inhuman prison practices. According to McKayle, “The songs that accompany their arduous labor are rich in polyphony and tell a bitter, sardonic, and tragic story.”