The African American Museum and Library at Oakland had a virtual 50th anniversary celebration honoring The Black Resurgents, Oakland’s legendary boogaloo dance group, on Saturday, October 23, 2021, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
The celebration featured a roundtable discussion featuring members of the Black Resurgents—Larry Robertson, Ricky Wilson-Gantt, William R. Randolph III, Greg Gaineslanstet, and William A.P. Randolph V—moderated by hip hop journalist and radio personality Davy-D Cook. The afternoon festivities also incorporated a screening of selected clips from archival film footage of the group’s performances. The Black Resurgents’ choreographic legacy can be seen in live performances by special guests Jerri Renti, Tracy Bartlow, Boogaloo Bill, The Srutter’s Room Experience with Lonnie Green, Johnny 5 with Turf Inc., and Kida the Great.
Starting at Elmhurst Junior High School in 1971, The Black Resurgents, over the course of the next decade, helped to define the era while serving as a source of inspiration to countless dance ensembles. The dance group appeared on The Jay Payton Show, displayed their choreographic artistry on the stages of Oakland Auditorium and other local venues, and performed alongside notable vocalists including the Whispers, Larry Graham and Graham Central Station, Sylvester, and Parliament-Funkadelic.
In recent years, the East Side Arts Alliance and the Oakland Museum of California have acknowledged the Black Resurgents’ essential role in shaping Oakland’s culture history. The group is featured in the Netflix docuseries Hip Hop Evolution, and the KQED series, If Cities Could Dance. The Black Resurgents also garnered media coverage on KPFA’s “Hard Knock Radio,” The Oaklandside, and KQED Arts.
The mission of the African American Museum and Library at Oakland is to discover, preserve, interpret, and share the historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in Northern California for present and future generations.
