In my family, there was always a party, celebration or gathering of some sort. My mother, father and great-grandmother had friends and family from all over the US and just because we lived in Las Vegas, this was not an excuse to dis-invite or have a celebration without them. Rightfully so, my parents were married on New Year’s Eve and every year, they planned a huge party to celebrate the New Year and their anniversary. As children, my sister and I knew what to expect – dancing, large amounts of food to include an open-pit barbeque feast, adults drinking, and a lot of laughter. In African-American families, it is typical for us to celebrate with song and dance – adults also involve the children so that they can “show them the new dance moves”. These celebrations have been depicted in television shows dating back to the 1970’s and the most notable were Soul Train and Good Times. I can remember waking up on a Saturday morning excited about watching these shows and even today, I take the time to watch re-runs to remember “the old days”. I chose the picture above because it is a famous portrait by artist Ernie Barnes. This portrait could be seen throughout the seventies and in a majority of television shows depicting African-American song and dance.