BY: Vincent L. Hall
Hey, let me be transparent. This ain’t journalism, this is a testimony. Life came full circle for me last week in the Cotton Bowl, just eight blocks from my birthplace.
By now, you know that actress, singer, philanthropist, and Michael Jackson’s little sister, Janet, has something to do with my story. Rhythm Nation is Janet’s 1989 hit that was as much a movement as it was music.
She was in town to celebrate and commemorate the Centennial Celebration of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.
The United Way aspect pointed to another significant milestone in my life.
The local United Way tapped me in 1986 and 1987 as a part of their Loaned Executive Program. I was representing the Communication Workers of America Local 6215 and the AFL-CIO. For three months of the year, I was housed and dispatched from the UW office as a spokesperson and advocate for the Dallas metroplex.
My roadshow included all the major corporations that had organized labor partners, such as LTV, General Motors, and the like. Stump speeches, from break rooms to shop floors to large auditoriums, were a daily routine. I knew every agency the UW supported, and giving to Dallas was at an all-time high.
The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas was founded in 1924 as the Community Chest to consolidate local charitable fundraising efforts. The agency evolved into a significant force for community impact and, by 1961, changed its name. It has served hundreds of thousands of citizens and causes since.
But back to the Rhythm Nation thrust.
Janet came to town to perform a concert, and everyone in Dallas was buzzing about it. Anytime you offer that type of experience free of charge, excitement builds organically. Having never seen her live before, my curiosity was at its peak.
The fact that they had Blake Shelton headline as the opener was another oddity in thought. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize the subtle message that this tandem was meant to convey. United means everybody. Music has always been a mutual meeting place for all Americans, and this show blended race, class, culture, and music in a manner that we see less often since the days of MAGA and Trumpism.
This 100th year celebration put Donald’s voters next to Kamala’s voters and forced all of us to realize that we still have more in common than we want to admit.
My brother, a lifelong Baptist minister who pastors in Jamaica, Queens, New York, regularly switched between gospel and country music. He called me raving about Blake Shelton ten years ago and made my youngest daughter a fan. After this event, you can add my name to his list of fans.
“Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit!
One of the first things he said as he mounted the stage was that he couldn’t believe he was sharing space with Janet Jackson. He was phenomenal, and my journey into his full discography had just begun.
Janet was Janet. She rocked the house with her music, impressive choreography, and that small, sensitive voice that we have loved since she debuted the abused child character “Penny” on Good Times in the 1970s.
But Janet wrapped the show with a message that was apropos for the celebration and aptly cautionary for America. “We are a part of the Rhythm Nation, but this is God’s Nation.
(Special thanks to Tan for the insight!)
A long-time Texas Metro News columnist,
Dallas native Vincent L. Hall is an author, writer, award-winning writer, and a lifelong Drapetomaniac.
