Opportunities for Black talent were few and far between the realm of television programming. In 1939, NBC granted Ethel Waters a short-lived 15-minute variety show, but such instances were the exception rather than the norm. Another notable example was the Hazel Scott Show, which debuted in July 1950 but was abruptly canceled in September after her appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

“The most important thing [during the first ten years of the Ed Sullivan Show] is that we’ve put on everything but bigotry,” Ed Sullivan remarked in an interview to the Newspaper Enterprise Association. “When the show first started in ’48, I had a meeting with the sponsors. There were some Southern dealers present and they asked if I intended to put on Negroes. I said ‘yes.’ They said I shouldn’t, but I convinced them I wasn’t going to change my mind. And you know something? We’ve gone over very well in the South. Never had a bit of trouble.”

In the Motown realm, Maxine Powell faced an intriguing challenge with the one and only Miss Diane Ross, new to the label. Ross had an unfortunate habit of bulging her eyes while belting out her tunes, and this peculiar blunder threatened to bring down her fellow Supremes. Powell knew she had her work cut out for her.

In 1960, optimism was on the rise following the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education six years earlier, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Despite this ruling, little guidance was provided on how to desegregate schools, and many jurisdictions were slow—often intentionally—to find solutions. As a result, public facilities such as buses, restaurants, theaters, courtrooms, restrooms, and beaches remained largely segregated.

When “The Nat King Cole Show” aired on NBC in 1956, it was significant milestone and showcased his talent as a Black musician and entertainer. Its popularity did not shield it from racial onslaught so prevalent during this changing time.

The first “true” Rock & Roll song was the byproduct of an integrated partnership in 1951. “Rocket 88,” recorded by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston at the white-owned Sun Studio in Memphis, is known for its distorted guitar, piercing sax solo, and driving riff.

When Nat D. Williams took to the airwaves as WDIA’s first Black disc jockey in 1948, the Black community not only tuned in but celebrated an incredible milestone.

"Soul is a ham hock in your cornflakes," sang the band Funkadelic. Lead singer George Clinton posed the question "What is Soul?" in 1970 in the debut album, also titled Funkadelic. Soul was so prevalent and meant many things to many people and the question was a loaded one…