may 26, 1886 - Al Jolson Is Born
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Born in Srednike, Russia, Asa Yoelson, later changed his name to Al Jolson after moved to Washington D.C. when he was seven years old. Al later moved to New York City where he began to get involved in the entertainment industry. He starred in several New York City musicals, but soon became a controversial figure when he started wearing "blackface". Blackface was the makeup used by a white performer to make himself look black, often for the purpose of poking fun at African American culture.
While many critics argued that this made Jolson look extremely insensitive and racist, audiences were impressed by his enthusiasm on stage. Ironically, in real life, Al Jolson was accepting of the black people and even help promote equal rights for African Americans. Some say that his blackface act was there to introduce whites to the whites to the charm of black culture rather making fun of it. Al later went on to star multiple films, his most famous being "The Jazz Singer" in 1927. Al Jolson gained an immense amount of popularity, and today many historians have deemed him the greatest entertainer of his time.
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American History and Music (1868 - 1959)
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